The Inadvertent Folly of Underestimation
by tennismaniac19
Summary: The Head Girl at Hogwarts has a lot on her plate; from a serious threat posed by mass murderer Sirius Black to a very boisterous group of juniors. Not to mention the Quidditch-crazy Gryffindor captain hell-bent on finally winning the Cup in his final year. Add to that, an eccentric Headmaster, new Professors and unwanted injuries; you best be prepared! [STORY ON HIATUS]
1. Summer At The Burrow

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the current plot and additional characters not created by J.K. Rowling. But you already knew that.**

 **A/N: Hey guys! This is my first Harry Potter story. I'm no stranger to the world of FFs. But I think I've become a little rusty. Hope you like what I have in store for you. Feel free to ask me any questions related to the story and don't hesitate to correct any inaccuracies.**

 **Cheers!**

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 **Summer At The Burrow**

The horizon changed from a pale yellow to a bright orange as the silhouette of a crooked and lopsided house slowly became clearer. The backyard was filled with gnomes and a distinct smell of mint as a young girl with red hair rushed off with a huge pitcher of lemonade. Rounding a corner, she dropped it on a large wooden table and grabbed a broom lying next to it, soaring into the air before anyone could say anything.

"Oi Ginny! You're too young to play with us!"

"Yeah. Go help Mum with dinner."

Ginny glared at the identical pair of red heads and swerved towards the other end of the yard.

"I'm going to be starting my second year," she huffed, "and that's when students can try out for their house teams!"

"Yeah but the funny thing is-"

"-there aren't any places for you to try out for."

The twins grinned at each other while their little sister scowled even more.

"Oi! Lay off her. I'd like to see you lot score as many goals as she does at this age," said a stout red head with an amiable grin on his face, " Fred and George would go down if Ginny took to scoring against them, isn't that right Oliver?"

A young man with short brown hair grinned and looked at all the red heads in front of him. The Weasleys had decided to invite the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team for the last remaining week of the summer break and this is how he found himself between his two current Beaters and his previous Captain and their youngest sister.

"Eh, that goes without saying Charlie. I reckon I'd have a hell of a day facing your sister at the hoops."

Ginny's face broke into a grin at this statement and she turned to look at her twin brothers with a smug look on her face.

"Well, stop faffing about. We've got a game to play. Considering the numbers, we've got to change the rules slightly. Ron and I are the Keepers, Harry and Charlie will be the Seekers. We'll have to do with one Beater per side and two Chasers. So Fred is on Charlie's team and George, you'll be on mine. Ginny and Alicia, with me and Angelina and Katie with Charlie."

Everyone looked slightly uncertain with the lineup pitting a vastly inexperienced side against a highly qualified one.

"You're the captain, Oliver," said Charlie, "So whatever you decide goes. Let's play, you lot!"

With that all ten of them soared out onto the middle of the pitch while Charlie's younger brother Percy and Harry and Ron's best friend, Hermione, released the 4 balls.

…

An hour later, Hermione looked up from her book to hear someone calling out their names from a little way away. It was a girl with short, black hair, shirt sleeves rolled up and hands firmly inside the pockets of her jeans. As she came closer, Hermione smiled and waved to her, recognizing her as a fellow Gryffindor and Oliver and Percy's classmate, Victoria McCaul.

"Hermione, aren't these guys done yet? Mrs. Weasley's going to blow her top," she said with a grin on her face.

"Not likely. Wood's having a field day with so many Gryffindors playing with him."

Victoria pursed her lips and surveyed the scene before her. Ten, very sweaty and distinctly happy riders were nowhere near getting off their brooms. She wondered why they were still playing.

"Percy, why are they still playing? The game started ages ago," she asked the red head with horn-rimmed glasses.

He looked highly annoyed to have been disturbed from his book and pointed at Harry and Charlie," They haven't caught the snitch yet."

"What?! But Harry's never taken so long. And Charlie was always top-notch and…"

She trailed off as she realized that those two had never been pitted against anyone of the same level and that was possibly why the snitch had not been caught by either. It was getting dark and they needed to go back inside but she knew there was no way Oliver would let them leave an unfinished game.

"Oi Wood!"

Oliver jerked slightly on his broom and turned an annoyed face at the voice.

"Ten minutes to catch the snitch. Otherwise, I'm telling Mrs. Weasley."

Oliver frowned, "You can tell whoever you want. We aren't leaving until the snitch is caught."

Six pairs of eyes immediately whipped towards him and six voices bellowed different things all leading to one eventual conclusion.

"Oliver, I insist you finish this match immediately."

"No offense, Wood but Mum's gonna kill us if she finds out we've been playing. Harry, back me up here."

"Oi Oliver, if you want a sodding team this year-"

"- you're going to have to make sure our Mum doesn't find out about this match."

"Mum won't let me take my broom for tryouts if she finds out!"

"Sorry Oliver. We really can't let Mum catch us. This lot needs to be alive for their journey back to school."

Oliver sighed in annoyance and glared at the girl grinning at him from the ground.

"Fine. 10 minutes. Harry, I'm counting on you."

15 minutes later, the snitch was still nowhere in sight and Victoria was getting impatient. She didn't want Mrs. Weasley to catch all of them but Oliver was too damn persistent. She saw a flicker of gold near the edge of the forest and sprinted towards it.

Hermione checked her watch, they really were going to get a telling off. She frowned and looked around, Quidditch never really being something that interested her. She saw a figure dart from side to side with impressive skill and wondered who it could be. Just as she was about to go up and check, she heard the twins groan from above.

"Wood, come off it."

"At this rate, we'll be grounded from school and you won't have any Beaters this year."

"No need for that. The snitch has been caught and I declare this match a tie."

Everyone looked in surprise at Victoria, as she grinned widely, waiting for the ten of them to dismount.

"Never figured you were this daft, McCaul. Neither of the Seekers have caught the bloody snitch. Can't you see?" Oliver scoffed at her.

She rolled her eyes and held up her left hand. Inside her palm, everyone could see the tiny speck of gold, signaling the presence of the snitch.

"What the hell? McCaul! You can't just go around disrupting the game like that! That's sabotage and tampering with the match!"

Victoria simply shrugged and placed the snitch inside the Quidditch equipment box. Without another glance backward, she walked towards the Burrow.

"Better head back before Mrs. Weasley spots any of you."

Everyone quickly landed and locked up everything inside the shed with Percy and Hermione's help. They were too hungry to care about anything else and trudged back happily as the smell of a delicious dinner wafted through the air. Except two people. Hermione was confused and Oliver was furious.

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 **Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions!**


	2. Shocking Surprises Or Surprising Shocks?

**A/N - Back with Chapter 2! Okay. So this might seem to be going a bit slowly, but I'd like to give the characters more space and time to develop. There are quite a few of them and as you might have guessed, this is set during PoA. I've taken a few liberties, changing some things here and there to** **accommodate my plot and characters.**

 **Disclaimer: I really DO NOT own anything.**

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"Tori, pass the gravy, would you?"

Victoria nodded at Angelina and passed her the large bowl. The dining room barely had any space left. Eight Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, Katie, Angelina, Alicia, Oliver and his younger sister Annabelle were having dinner together and she had been invited to join them. Her family lived nearby and little Annabelle had gotten lost after venturing too far out into the marsh. Victoria recognized her classmate's sister and consoled the little girl before showing her the way back to the Burrow. Naturally, Mrs. Weasley had insisted that she stay for dinner and Tori hadn't resisted. It was quite lonely at home because her parents worked during the day and only came back at night. She was an only child so she didn't have any siblings to keep her company either. So she welcomed the chance to meet people from her school, most of whom she knew and liked. She had just about a year left in Hogwarts and Merlin knew when she'd be able to sit down at a dinner like this outside school again.

"So Tori, how are you preparing for your NEWTs? I have OWLs in a couple of years and I'm already freaking out. There are so many subjects to choose!"

She chanced a look at Ron who was sniggering behind a bowl of mashed potatoes while Harry tried to make sure that his other best friend couldn't see. Tori finished her dinner roll and turned towards the bushy haired witch.

"Hermione, I completely empathise with you at this point. However, having needlessly lost my cool leading up to OWLs, I think you shouldn't worry about it until you're actually in fifth year. You're brilliant and I know for a fact that you don't lack hard work. You'll be just fine. Just be careful around Snape. He _never_ likes Gryffindors, irrespective of how well they fare. And you've got a track record and best friend which certainly warrants caution," she finished with a smirk as Harry blushed beet red and Hermione huffed in exasperation.

Dinner was pleasant and somewhat uneventful, at the end of which Tori thanked the Weasleys for dinner and headed back to her place. Just as she was about to leave, she felt a small hand tug her shirt.

"Why are you leaving?" her bright, black eyes were filled with confusion.

"I live somewhere else. I have to go home before my parents get worried," she smiled at the little girl and tried to reassure her but her large eyes started welling up.

"Don't go! I want to hear more stories about dragons and wolves from you!"

Her voice had alerted her brother who came out of the dining room slightly alarmed.

"Anna, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" He took her in his arms and wiped away her tears. It was only after a while that he noticed Tori standing there.

"What do you want, McCaul?" His tone was stiff and unwelcoming. Tori bit her lip to stop the giggle from escaping. He was honestly still upset about the snitch.

"Nothing. Just saying goodbye to Annabelle before leaving."

Oliver looked a little surprised and turned his head towards his sister. He was even more surprised to see the look of adoration in Annabelle's eyes as she waved shyly at Tori.

"Erm. Right. McCaul has to leave now, Anna. It's getting late."

"NO! I want her to stay!"

Oliver looked slightly helpless as he looked from one girl to another.

"Don't worry, Annabelle. We'll meet again soon. You'll be coming to the train station to drop off Oliver, won't you? I'll be there too," she smiled as the little girl beamed at her and nodded her head vigorously.

Oliver exhaled, looking visibly relieved and nodded at Tori in acknowledgment. She yelled a goodbye into the drawing room and walked out of the Burrow, her stomach full and mind buzzing.

…

Platform 9 ¾ was not for the faint hearted. Hundreds of students (in possession of magical abilities, no less) and their families attempted to board the looming and very punctual Hogwarts Express. The only known way of reaching the premier institute. Hermione looked around for the rest of her group, her ginger cat placed firmly in her arms. The Weasleys had a knack for reaching places at the last minute and Harry was becoming very much a part of this grand tradition. She spotted her two friends, along with the twins, lugging their trunks alongside.

"Honestly, what took you so long? I thought you'd miss the train!"

"Believe me, so did we."

"Would've been a bloody blessing as well, if you ask me."

Hermione looked at her friends questioningly as the twins hopped onto the train, uncharacteristically surly.

"Don't mind them. Wood's been giving us Quidditch preps. Before school's started," Harry said in a low voice, looking over his shoulder in case the Gryffindor captain was anywhere nearby.

"Bloke's mental, he is. Almost went barmy when McCaul ended our game at the Burrow that day." Ron shuddered.

"I've said it before, what is with boys and Quidditch? I just don't understand. There's so much more to li-"

She was quickly silenced by her friends and shoved into an empty compartment as they spied a tall head of brown hair heading their way. No one in their right mind wanted to give Wood another reason to talk about Quidditch. They watched as he passed them and walked into the compartment with the twins and Lee Jordan.

…

Angelina put on her robes and walked towards the Prefects' carriage. The meeting was just about to start and she wondered who the other Prefects were. She knew who the Captains were but the main mystery was the coveted position of Head Boy and Girl.

She was not surprised to see Cedric Diggory there. Next to him was Helen Wilkins and she was chatting with the Ravenclaw Prefects, Roger Davies and Joy Paddington. The Slytherin Prefects were Clarissa Nott and Adrian Pucey. The Prefects from the previous years were the same and she already knew who the Captains were; she saw Flint talking to Pucey, Davies and Diggory were Prefects as well and of course, there was Oliver, head buried in his play book.

Her eyes finally rested on the pair sitting in the middle. She was shocked to say the least. The Head Boy badge was glimmering next to a green and silver tie which meant that Percy hadn't been given that position. Instead, she saw the smug look on Adam Greengrass. Beside him was a very familiar face, a face she was so relived to see; Victoria McCaul.

Angelina settled down next to her fellow Gryffindor Prefect, Martin Proust and waited for her duties to be handed to her. This was going to be a strange arrangement. She had never heard of a Gryffindor-Slytherin combination for Head and she wondered how this would affect things this year.

…

Tori concluded the meeting, nothing that there hadn't been too many problems, except for a fight threatening to break out amongst the four Captains every once in a while. She thought that the Prefect pairs had been chosen well and even though most people wouldn't admit it, working alongside a Slytherin was going to have its uses.

Just as everyone had filed out, the train came to a sudden halt and a few people collided with each other. Tori was worried that Wood and Flint would break into a fight at any moment when the air became very cold. It was an odd sensation, she felt like every trace of warmth and life was being forced out of her. She suddenly started recalling horrible snippets of past events as her breathing shallowed.

She looked around and saw that everyone around her had turned deathly pale. The windows had frozen and the silence was strange, considering they had just been brought to an unexpected stop. It was then that she saw the hooded figure open the door to one compartment and a burst of white light pushed it away. A man in ragged clothes came out and started checking every compartment and handing out, what she later found out was, chocolate.

"That was a-"

"- fucking Dementor." Wood's voice was hoarse even though the color was slowly returning to his cheeks. Tori nodded at him grimly, knowing that her duties as Head Girl were certainly going to increase.

…

It was nearing curfew when the beginning-of-term feast had ended. Tori bade goodnight to her previous dorm mates and best friends, Elizabeth Daniels, Mary Bronson and Alexandra Murphy. They had been in the same dorm for the last six years and she felt horrible leaving them to share a tower with a stranger.

On her way towards the Heads' Dorm, she collided with someone and a book went flying into the air. She heard a rush of expletives with a definite Scottish twang and picked up the papers that had fallen near her feet.

"Oi! Give those back! You have no authority going over them!"

She really marveled at how dramatic he was most of the time. She let him snatch back the papers, no doubt containing various Quidditch plays, and folded her arms in front of her.

"First of all, I do have authority. I'm Head Girl and students out of bed, post curfew, fall very much under my jurisdiction. Secondly, stop jumping down my throat at every given chance, Wood. Are honestly still pissed about that game at the Burrow?"

"Of course I am! How could you do that? Even if you don't play or understand Quidditch, you have no right to interfere like that!" He had a weird brand of logic and his presumptuous attitude was definitely a turn off.

Tori narrowed her eyes, irritation seeping into her slowly. She brandished her wand and conjured a glass of water.

"Stop screaming like a madman. You need to cool off. Once you start thinking clearly, let me know. I'd be happy to tell you why I was 'interfering'. Or, if you were half as obsessed which Quidditch as you're supposed to be, you'd already know why."

She left the corridor, making her way to the opposite end of the castle, leaving Oliver standing there, not just angry but confused as well.

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 **So, as before, review please! Drop off any suggestions or pointers which you think I might require.**

 **Cheers!**


	3. Unlikely Allies And Expected Rows

**A/N - Okay so here's another chapter! That was super fast! But I see no reviews. Those would be much appreciated, people!**

 **Disclaimer: Umm, same as before. Don't own anything.**

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Tori entered Prof. McGonagall's office on the Saturday evening. All the seventh years had a talk with their Heads of Houses with regards to future careers and prospects. It was now her turn.

"How've you been, Ms. McCaul?" she asked, a soft smile gracing her otherwise stern features.

"I trust you've given some thought to what you might want to do once you graduate."

"I have. Initially, I thought about the idea of becoming a Healer but a lot of people already choose that field. I don't think I could make any significant changes there. I was looking up some books on older magic and an idea struck me."

McGonagall nodded and waited for the girl to continue.

"Do you think it would be possible for me to create new spells? Or improve existing ones? I've always wanted to do something related to Charms or Defense Against the Dark Arts. This is just an idea. I don't really know much more right now."

The older woman fixed her spectacles on her nose and looked at her thoughtfully.

"I think you've come upon a very interesting idea, Ms. McCaul. This is something that very few witches or wizards want to engage with, due to the fact that the magic behind creating and changing spells is highly complex and difficult to master. However, I think this is an excellent choice, should you decide to continue. I would normally ask you to talk to Prof. Flitwick but he is rather tied up with House duties and classes."

"I suggest you talk to Prof. Lupin. Not only is he highly skilled in these areas but he would understand exactly how to guide a student such as yourself." She finished with a smile.

Tori smiled at the professor and nodded her head. So her summer hadn't been a complete waste.

"Good luck, Victoria."

…

Greengrass glanced at the girl next to her. A sneer was starting to form on his face as she kept looking at the large clock in the corridor. Next to them, stood Slytherin Prefect, Adrian Pucey, a mocking smile on his face.

"You might as well give it up. Johnson still hasn't shown up and her patrol began 40 minutes ago. Figures that all Gryffindors would be irresponsible. Can't believe I have to work with you for the rest of the year, McCaul." He drawled out, watching her tense after every insult. It was unusual to get a chance to rile up the Head Girl and Adam Greengrass was not going to pass up such an opportunity.

"Pucey was here on time and I think he actually saw Johnson walk out of the Gryffindor Tower. How come she didn't show up?"

"I couldn't say, really. But," Pucey's lips turned upwards in a smirk, "She was wearing Quidditch gear. Maybe she skived patrol to practice."

Tori's finger twitched ever so slightly but otherwise gave away no signs of having heard him.

"Since Johnson is in my House, I'll speak to her and do whatever is necessary so that this doesn't happen again. Now get back to your corridor, Pucey. Your patrol isn't over yet."

Tori hoped against hope that she'd find the pitch devoid of red and gold blurs but unfortunately, she spied two figures near one of the goal posts. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and not let her anger take over.

"Angelina, why-"

"Oi! No one but the team is allowed on the pitch during practice!" Wood screamed before she could finish.

Angelina sensed that things were going to get ugly so she flew down quickly and went to Tori.

"I know I missed patrol today, Tori. But I came late for practice and Oliver wouldn't let me go until I finished a set of punishment laps and suicides. It won't happen again. I give you my word."

Tori looked at the girl in front of her, nervous and wanting to avoid a confrontation. Tori had no desire to start a shouting match so she nodded her head stiffly.

"Don't give anyone the chance to question your position, Angelina. Remember, your Head Boy is a Slytherin."

She nodded quickly and rushed off to the locker room. Meanwhile, Wood had flown down and was walking towards Tori with a scowl on his face.

"What's your problem, McCaul?"

"I should really be asking you that, Wood. You made Angelina miss her first patrol. What gives you any right to detain Prefects from their duties?"

"I'm the Captain. My players will stay as long as I tell them to. You've got a problem with that, take it up with McGonagall."

"Actually, I don't have to," her eyes were cold and her jaw stiff, " because as far as I can see, the pitch was booked for a Gryffindor practice from 4-6 pm. It is now 3 minutes to 7. Not only can I deduct points for exceeding the time slot but I can potentially have you both in detention for being out past curfew."

Oliver's mouth opened in protest but he quickly shut it. He had no way of counter her argument. His scowl grew deeper as he watched her raise an eyebrow.

"But I do care about my House, unlike other people. So make sure this doesn't happen again. A Slytherin won't let you off so easily."

"You're no better than a Slytherin," he muttered as she walked back to the castle.

…

By Wednesday, Tori had it up to here with the inter House feuds. She hadn't been able to approach Lupin because of the amount of fights she had had to break up. She was just walking towards her next class when she saw a Hufflepuff fifth year, croaching next to a statue, with his wand aimed at a particular direction. Her eyes followed in the direction of his wand and spotted the target; Greengrass. Cursing the stupidity of the entire student population, she took out her wand quickly.

"Expelliarmus," it was a simple motion but the look of panic on the boy's face was marvelous to watch. He scrambled to his feet as Greengrass turned around, bewildered.

"I thought you'd know better than to attack someone when their back is turned. 10 points from Hufflepuff. It'll be a lot worse next time, so I wouldn't attempt something like this again."

Greengrass frowned and walked up to her.

"Was he trying to attack me?"

"Hmm. You should be more careful. Imagine the state of your House if Hufflepuffs feel the need to attack."

He rolled his eyes and looked around for any stragglers.

"You heading towards Defence Against the Dark Arts?" She nodded and they both made their way to Lupin's classroom.

…

"Alright everyone, settle down," Lupin's voice called over the murmur of students. "Today I would like to get an idea of how good you are with defensive spells. So pair up with someone from the other House and start practicing. But I think we have an unequal distribution, so one pair will be only Gryffindor."

Everyone started shuffling around, picking the person they hated least. Ultimately, Tori saw that there were three people left besides her. Alexandra, Wood and Flint. She was about to head over to her best friend's side when she saw the glares being exchanged by the two Captains. No doubt, the Hospital Wing would be graced by visitors if they weren't careful. She mouthed a 'sorry' to Alex and swiftly moved in front of Wood. She caught a glimpse of Alex's scowl as she grudgingly walked towards Flint.

Wood was surprised by her presence in front of him but took out his wand nonetheless. They practiced for the entire duration of the class without any arguments and Lupin came by and commented on how well they were anticipating each other's moves.

"Looks like someone didn't spend his entire summer, immersed in his Quidditch notebooks. That was impressive, Wood."

"It's not like I wasn't going to study. Quidditch isn't the only thing in my life," he scowled.

"I know, I know. Just trying to ease the air," she laughed, amused at how he always got worked up so easily.

"Why'd you pair with me? Murphy was standing right there."

"I saw you looking at Flint with those eyes. I've seen that expression too many times on your face to let another fight break out."

"Since when are you so concerned? If I recall correctly, you were threatening to hand out detention not two days ago."

Tori felt someone come up next to her.

"Look, Wood. We've got enough on our plates without the Quidditch Captains going at each other's throats. If you had even a shred of sense in your skull, you'd listen to McCaul. Your House won't be the only one suffering if a fight breaks out."

Tori spun around in surprise. Greengrass was the last person she had expected to say something almost truce-like. What was going on?

Wood seemed to think so too but a shout from one of his team members made him leave without asking any questions.

"What was that about?" she asked, her eyebrows raised curiously.

"I figured you were right when you told me that we need to work together in order to get through this year."

"And you were right about our pairing being the best. We don't like each other but we don't hate each other. I think that's a perfect working relationship. What do you say, McCaul?" he extended his right hand for her to shake.

She couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face. She had been correct in deducing that Greengrass wasn't one to pick fights unnecessarily.

"I'd say that this is the start of a beautiful partnership."

…

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 **PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **Cheers.**


	4. Hard Work Rarely Pays Off

**A/N- Back with the next chapter. Haven't proof read it yet, so don't mind the mistakes.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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Harry trudged back to the common room, tired and sweaty. The match against Slytherin was in a week's time and Wood had kept practices all five days of the week. He was pretty sure Fred and George were secretly plotting to have him pitched off the Astronomy Tower. The girls were losing their patience as well, Angelina putting her foot down every time practice tended to exceed the regulated slot. Harry was finding it difficult to get to his classes on time as Wood had somehow memorized his timetable and showed up in between to give him tips and pointers. Using his father's Invisibility Cloak was becoming a more tempting idea by each passing day.

"Harry!"

Hermione ran up to him, her hair windswept and her eyes worried.

"Where were you?"

"Quidditch practice."

"At this time? You have _got_ to be more careful." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him reprimandingly.

"I know, Hermione," he sighed, "everyone was grumbling because Wood kept us back after curfew. But how come you're telling me this now? We've been told to be careful since the first day back. Did something happen?"

She bit her lip and shook her head.

"Not exactly. Well. He's been spotted."

"He? You mean Black? Where?"

"Not far from here. Promise me you won't stay out like this anymore!"

"Hermione, I appreciate your concern but the match is next week. We have to practice! Plus Wood would go crazy if we didn't win."

"Wood? Has he been keeping you out after curfew?"

Harry and Hermione swiveled around and looked guiltily at the Head Girl standing behind them. Harry started to shake his head uncertainly but Tori cut him off.

"No. Let it be. You two head back to the common room. I'll see if there's any way in which practice can be shifted to an earlier slot."

She smiled at them as they looked at each other uncertainly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to deduct points or report any of you. Now shoo."

Tori watched them run towards Gryffindor Tower and frowned. When would that boy learn? When his Seeker was offed by a mass murderer? He'd be too busy mourning his last chance at the Cup to even notice.

She walked into the common room an hour later to finish her inspection and one section immediately fell into a frantic hush. She narrowed her eyes at the trio of Fred, George and Lee Jordan who were talking to some fifth year girls. No doubt, they were up to no good. But she wanted to see her friends. They hardly got to talk, sharing just a handful of classes with each other and today was Friday, so they would hopefully still be at their dorm.

She was in luck. She found Elizabeth proper up on her bed, hair tied in a bun, intently reading her History of Magic textbook. Mary folding her washed clothes and putting them inside her trunk and Alex busy pouring over her Ancient Runes homework. They looked up when they heard the door open and grinned at her.

"So, what've you guys been up to?"

"NEWTs are a fucking menace! I can't believe I didn't drop out last year!" Alex grumbled as she shoved aside her Runes translation.

"It's not that bad. I've got a lot of extra reading done since dropping Prefectship this year." Liz still had her finger stuck inside the book she was reading.

"Speak for yourself, Liz. I thought Hagrid taking up Care of Magical Creatures would make things fun but all it did was get Malfoy scruffed up and us looking after endless Flobberworms." Mary was very enthusiastic about this subject and her dejected look meant that the classes were indeed terrible.

"Speaking of which, I've been talking to Alicia and the twins about the upcoming match. There are loads of bets going about on how quickly Harry'll be able to catch the Snitch." Alex grinned at the three of them and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Alex…"

"What? Fine. You don't have to hear, O Mighty Head."

Tori laughed and threw a pillow at her. Ever uncoordinated, Alex managed to drop it after barely managing to hold it for a second.

"Honestly Alex, you have terrible coordination. It's a wonder you don't tumble down stairs more often."

"I think Liz and Mary more than make up for that."

They laughed and talked for another hour before Tori stood up to leave.

"I'll see you guys later, yeah?"

"Off to meet the hunky Head Boy, eh?"

Tori scrunched up her nose and shook her head disapprovingly.

"'Hunky'? Honestly Liz, I thought your vocab was better than that."

"But you've got to admit that he's quite fit." Liz gushed and looked around her approval.

"He's handsome. Everyone knows that. Doesn't mean I'm going to jump him. Remember when I got paired with that Spanish exchange student? He was bloody gorgeous."

"Yeah. We thought you'd do something with him but then we were disappointed. Like every other time." Liz finished dramatically.

"Still, I'm sure it doesn't hurt to have someone like that around while you get all your work done," Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tori turned around and walked down the stairs.

"Hurt? It's a friggin' sight for sore eyes."

…

Diggory and Paddington had patrol duty on Saturday evening. They reported back to the Heads' dorm at 8 and walked off to their respective common rooms. There weren't any students wandering about but Diggory had stayed behind for a second to tell her that he had seen one of the Gryffindors in his year near the Hufflepuff common room just before curfew.

Tori huffed angrily. Why was her House so irresponsible? If it hadn't been Diggory who had seen the boy, someone somewhere would be heading towards detentions, rubies filtering out of the Gryffindor Hourglass.

She made sure Greengrass didn't see her as she slipped out, trying to see if there were any illicit activities going on. Knowing the huddle she had seen the day before, she knew it would be difficult to find. The twins were hardened pranksters, only getting caught when they wanted to. She just hoped that they wouldn't be stupid enough to attempt something so close to the big match. She smirked as she thought of Wood's expression if any of them got detention.

Turning round the corner, she flicked her wand, muttering, "Lumos," and checking every inch of the floor for signs.

…

"Do you think we should've invited Tori?"

Alex frowned at Mary and took a sip of her butterbeer.

"Why the fuck would we do that? She generally doesn't like parties and it wouldn't be fair to make her choose between her Head Girl duties and her friends."

Mary looked uncertain but nodded her head anyway. This was probably the first time that Tori hadn't been a part of a Gryffindor house party. She usually chugged some butterbeer and wandered off, turning up unexpectedly to clean up some sort of mess or look after a drunk student. It felt odd not to have her there. Mary looked around for Liz and found that she was sitting and chatting with her boyfriend, Sean. It was best not to interrupt them. They barely got any time alone.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The big game is next week and Fred and I have prepared a special drink for all of you in anticipation of Harry kicking Malfoy's arse! Here's to a Scarlet Victory!" screamed George as he conjured a ruby red drink in everyone's hands.

"Woo! Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Everyone roared in appreciation as the drink hit all the right areas. In the midst of all the screaming, the twins were joined by a slightly red faced Oliver Wood. He looked overjoyed as he put his arms around their shoulders.

"We'll kick their sodding broomsticks up their backsides!" his accent had become even more thick thanks to the alcohol and the cheers became even louder as the popular Quidditch Captain started jumping up and down along with his team.

"Now _he's_ fit. And that accent on top of that. Merlin, what I wouldn't give to be Quaffle."

"Ew, Mary. You say the most ridiculous things when you're sloshed."

"You don't think he's hot, Alex?"

"Damn right, he is. But why would you want to be a Quaffle? Can't snog the bloke if you're a bright, red ball he keeps punching away."

They both burst into giggles as everyone around them started singing some song off key.

…

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?"

Tori rolled her eyes as a loud voice erupted from the adjacent corridor. She was just about to enter Lupin's office when she heard the unmistakable Scottish accent. Would she never be able to talk to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? Why was this boy hell bent on creating trouble every time she decided to enter that particular classroom?

"Wood. Stop shouting. You'll scar the first years."

She was puzzled to see Flint walk away with a sneer on his face but no retaliation from his counterpart. She was even more puzzled to see Wood sitting on the staircase, head buried in his hands.

"Wood? Is everything alright? What was Flint doing here?" she asked tentatively.

"They've pulled out."

"What?" she asked, not really understand what he was talking about.

"We're playing Hufflepuff in two days time. Slytherin have pulled out because of Malfoy's bleedin' arm."

The words registered in Tori's head as she pulled in her breath sharply. That was foul. There was no way this could be allowed.

"That's ridiculous. They can't do that!"

"Apparently they can. McGonagall sent me a letter just as Flint came to tell me."

"Well I'm not convinced. Go back to the common room, Wood. You don't want to caught by any teachers right now."

She sprinted off, leaving a dejected Captain on the stairs.

…

"Greengrass. What is your House trying to pull?" she demanded as soon as she entered the common room she shared with the blonde haired Slytherin.

"What?"

"I'm talking about the Quidditch match. Flint just told Wood that they've pulled out of Saturday's game and Hufflepuff will be playing in their place."

"Oh. Well. There isn't much I can say. Flint doesn't want to play in this weather. It'd hamper our chances of winning. Whatever reason he's given for pulling out, if it involves Malfoy, you can be sure that there won't be any way to reverse it." He looked at the girl in front of him. She was fuming and he couldn't really blame her. This was a low stunt to pull, even by Slytherin standards.

"I'm sorry, McCaul. It's an unfair situation but I'm sure you know that better than I do."

"Why don't you go back to your common room? I'll finish the patrol charts by myself. Merlin knows what Wood must be doing right now."

Tori closed her eyes in frustration and barely managed to nod her head. She knew that Adam wouldn't be able help in any way. He wasn't part of the team and neither did he have any power over Quidditch matters. But he was still part of that House so it had made sense to go and talk to him.

"I'm sorry for shouting. You didn't have anything to do with this."

His face broke into a grin and he waved his hand dismissively.

"You saved by arse from that Hufflepuff dolt before. Consider us even."

…

There was a certain gloom hanging over the Gryffindor common room when Tori entered it. The team was huddled up in one corner, alternately trying to console Wood and stopping him from marching down to the dungeons. She fell down beside Hermione who was trying to read a book but kept frowning around occasionally.

"Malfoy's arm is fine. I can't believe they're allowing this."

Tori nodded her head tiredly. She wasn't the only one who thought that.

"Can't anything be done, Victoria? The team has been preparing for such a long time. I don't give a damn about the sport but even I can tell."

"I spoke to Greengrass. Seems the only thing we can do is try and prepare for the Hufflepuff match as best as we can."

"Oh no."

They looked over to where Wood was frantically trying to tell his team something.

"Don't worry so much, Oliver."

"Hufflepuff are a pushover."

"Harry'll catch the Snitch before they can say 'Herbology'."

"And we've practiced really hard. It'll all pay off."

"So what if Diggory's got looks? Harry here has skill!"

"Wood, don't worry so much. We can beat them."

This helped to do exactly the opposite of what it intended to do.

"This is why I was worried. You lot aren't taking Hufflepuff seriously! Diggory's out together a pretty decent team. We can't afford to take them lightly!"

The twins held him down by the shoulders as he sprang up again.

"Relax, Oliver. We are taking Hufflepuff very seriously."

"Seriously."

Tori waited for some of the team to move and she sat down next to the brown haired boy.

"Wood? Are you alright? I just wanted to let you know that I spoke to Greengrass and you were right. Nothing can be done right now."

There was no scowl and no biting reply.

"I know. I'd have known if there was any way out of this."

"I'm sorry. All the best for Saturday."

…

Gryffindor lost the match that weekend. It was a bizarre situation where the Dementors broke into the grounds and Harry lost unconsciousness, plummeting more than 50 feet.

Tori waited for the entire team to come out of the locker room. The last ones to leave were Fred and George.

"Where's Wood?"

"Still in the shower. We reckon he's trying to drown himself."

That was not a good thing. She peered into the locker room and found that there was no depressed Quidditch Captain in the shower. There was, however, a depressed Quidditch Captain sitting on the bench, hair dripping and clothes becoming damp from the steam in the room.

"Hey."

He looked up and she felt terrible seeing his forlorn expression.

"It's my fault. I should've made them practice more. This wouldn't have happened otherwise…"

"Stop. This isn't your fault. The Dementors aren't supposed to come onto the grounds. That's the main reason Harry wasn't able to catch the Snitch. It had nothing to do with talent or skill or practice. It was rotten luck, Wood."

He shook his head, still muttering to himself.

"You think this happened because of the party last Sunday." Realisation hit her and she couldn't keep the surprise from her voice.

"What? No! That's not- Wait. You knew?"

"Of course I knew. I used to go to all of these parties with my dorm mates. You can't miss the unmistakable smell of a Weasley gathering when you've been part of it for 3 years."

"Why didn't you report us?" His face had lost some of its paleness as curiousity settled there instead.

"Listen. The loss was unfortunate. Now buck up and make sure you win the remaining matches. You aren't out of the running yet."

He opened his mouth to say something but she shoved something into his hands and walked out of the room before he could say anything.

"Read that. It might help. And maybe you'll stop jumping down my throat after going through it."

Oliver looked down at the magazine in his hands.

 _Quantitative Quidditch Issue 38: Nastily Exhausting Quidditch Matches; The Snitch Becomes the Saviour._

…

* * *

 **Please review! And suggestions are appreciated as always.**

 **Cheers.**


	5. Create And Destroy

**A/N- This is a slightly important chapter, so please ask me if you don't understand anything. I've explained things very** **basically here. It'll get more complicated in the later chapters.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

"Ah. Ms. McCaul. We can finally discuss your plans."

Lupin smiled and gestured to the seat in front of him.

"Now, I have spoken to Prof. McGonagall about your interests but I would like to discuss things with you before suggesting any kind of approach."

Tori nodded and waited for him to continue.

"Magic lies within certain people and channeling that magic to do things that we want is a complex process perfected through eons. Spell creation is unbelievably difficult but adjusting and changing it is somewhat less complex. Tell me, what have you gathered from your preliminary readings?"

"Well, Sir. I know that incantations play a major role in creating certain spells and transformations. Other than that, I couldn't find much information readily available."

"Quite right. So let me tell you a little bit about this. After which, I will give you a few books to go through. When you're done with those, we can proceed further."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, contemplating where exactly he should begin.

"Witches and wizards display magical abilities from a young age. However, the kind of magic that they produce varies greatly on the intent and emotion of the individual. Magic is also shaped by experience. We are all capable of an enormous variety of magic but channeling our intent and emotion can be a rather grueling task. Here is where incantations come in. The source of most of incantations we use is Latin. It is considered to be the language closest to innate magical energy, though this claim is somewhat disputed."

"I need you to understand something carefully. It is essential for your advancement. Most of us learnt magic by practicing spells handed down to us by previous generations. No one really tries to look up the meaning of the incantation that they use and what the source actually is. Spell creators are the people who have managed to dig deep and understand these complexities. It is from there that they are able to create new spells through the use of fresh incantations."

Tori drank up everything Lupin was saying. This was utterly fascinating and she was beginning to feel extremely pleased about her tentatively chosen path.

"Half our ability lies in our intentions and the other half is governed by our execution. You need to study both. After you have finished, I want you to pick one particular spell which you would like to modify. And then we can begin your training."

"Thank you, Sir. Thank you so much! I wasn't so sure about this before but after hearing everything that you said, I know that this is what I want to do. No matter how long it takes me to learn."

She got up and Lupin smiled, handing her a pile of heavy, hardbound books. He placed a Lightening Charm on it and opened the door for her to leave. How would this young girl fare, he wondered.

…

Halloween was on Saturday, which meant that the first Hogsmeade weekend had also arrived. Excitement filled the air as third years bobbed up and down, eagerly anticipating their first visit into the wizarding village. The older students were experienced but no less excited. So many things awaited them in Hogsmeade, far away from the watchful eyes and reprimanding voices.

"Tori! What do you mean you aren't going?" Mary whined loudly as they stood near the entrance, waiting for their permission slips to be accepted.

"I've got a ton of stuff to do. Snape's being a huge ass. He's dumped four 3' essays on us and I cannot do with an A. So."

"But you can come back early!"

"No, Mary. You guys go ahead. This isn't the last trip. I'll go next time. Please don't argue about this needlessly."

"She's right, Mary. Let her catch up on her work." That was Liz's low monotone.

"We'll go together next time. So cheer up." Alex knew her friend was getting upset so she ushered Tori to leave them.

She hadn't lied when she said she had a ton of stuff to do. But Snape's essays had been finished a couple of days ago. In reality, Tori wanted to get started on the books that Lupin had given her and since she couldn't do that while there were people around, she figured that the weekend would be too good an opportunity to miss. She knew that Adam was going to Madam Puddifoot's with his girlfriend, so she had the Heads' room to herself.

The first book she picked up was _Origins And Where They Come From_. Such a strange title. But she opened it anyway.

 _Creating new spells is a dangerous proposition. You might end up like Stephen, The Straight, who tried to figure out a spell to assist people with a hunchback but ended up with a modified spine which never let him bend or fold himself in any way._

She quickly shut this book. Possibly a later read. The next book that caught her eye was a purple, leather-bound volume with silver letters engraved on it. _Change Is The Only Constant; Unless You Constantly Keep Changing._

This was the book she had been looking for. A perfect guide for beginners about the origins of spells and innate magical abilities.

 _Channeling one's emotions and intentions are the fundamental skills required to create spells. It is a matter of shaping the magic inside you into a desired form. This is where your intentions come in. Especially important in the case of spell creation, intent is what gives a spell its unique energy. One must have unwavering intent during the entire process of spell creation, otherwise things can go horribly wrong._

Nearly three hours later, Tori closed the book and stretched herself. That had been a very exhausting read and she needed to work off the tension in her system somehow. She had snuck down to the Great Hall for lunch at one point but she really didn't feel like eating anything more. She was feeling restless after reading about such new and fascinating things. And it frustrated her that she couldn't start her training right away. She still had three books to go through.

The castle grounds were practically completely empty. Tori bit her lip and frowned. Should she risk it?

Why not? As far as she knew none of her friends or juniors had stayed behind. She was safe.

…

Harry skulked about the common room for a good few hours before going down to have a spot of lunch. He hated having to miss their first Hogsmeade trip. Life was so unfair sometimes. McGonagall knew that his relatives were highly unreasonable, to say the least. But he really couldn't blame her. Black was on the loose and it was her duty to make sure all her students were safe. Still, he had a reckless streak in him, possibly passed down by his father, and he was itching to do something. Anything!

After thinking about it for a while, he headed out to the pitch. He'd borrow one of the school's brooms and fly a few laps. That might make him feel better.

Once he got close to the pitch, he saw a solitary figure flying around one end of the pitch. He wondered who it could be. Had Wood finally lost it and was spending all his free time flying near the goal hoops? No. The figure didn't look like Wood and that wasn't the stance of a Keeper. He inched closer and his jaw dropped.

Zooming around on a Cleansweeps 6, catching the Snitch after a few remarkable dives and then starting the entire process again, was the Head Girl; Victoria McCaul.

Harry watched in amazement as she pulled off some of the most complex dives and stunts that he had ever seen. She was quick and her turns were precise. She almost resembled a Snitch, her movements were so difficult to predict. His head was buzzing with questions and he slowly walked up to her.

…

Tori couldn't believe her eyes. Harry Potter was walking towards her while she was still in the air! She quickly flew down and frowned at him.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you at Hogsmeade?"

"Umm, I don't have permission to go," Harry recoiled at her harsh tone.

"Well, you shouldn't be loitering around like this. You know what threats we are up against."

Harry was just about to say that he could say the same thing about her but wisely decided to hold his tongue.

"Go back to the castle."

"And Potter, if anyone gets to hear about what you saw today, that rumour about three second year students brewing Polyjuice Potion might just reach Snape's ears. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, bewildered beyond his wildest dreams. What just happened? Why was he being threatened by the Head Girl about something like this?

…

The Halloween feast turned out to be better than the previous year, which nobody thought would be possible. Hogsmeade had left everyone famished and Tori's not-so-covert flying session had developed a fierce appetite for her.

Soon everyone was walking back to their common rooms. Only, there seemed to be some commotion in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. Tori weaved her way through the crowd and was greeted by the horrific sight of the Fat Lady's portrait, ripped beyond recognition and the subject nowhere to be seen.

"He's got a nasty temper, that Sirius Black."

Chaos erupted after Peeves' declaration. Tori and Adam instructed the Prefects to maintain some kind of order while the Headmaster bellowed for everyone to assemble in the Great Hall.

After sleeping bags had been conjured and most people tucked in, Tori looked for a head of messy black hair and green eyes. Sure enough, she spotted him sitting with his best friends, not a hint of sleep in his eyes.

"Potter. Come with me for a minute." She said briskly.

Harry looked at her apprehensively but followed anyway. Once they were out of earshot, Tori dropped her voice considerably.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Harry. I was just shocked to see you there. You see, nobody knows that I can fly or play Quidditch. I have my own reasons for keeping it a secret. Please promise me, you won't tell anyone. Just forget that you ever saw me today. I'm not going to threaten you with anything. That was just my anger getting the better of me."

Harry wondered why such bizarre things happened to him all the time. But he nodded his head anyway. Apart from this odd incident, he quite liked the Head Girl. She didn't stand any nonsense and was a fun person to hang out with. He didn't see what harm could come out of helping her keep her secret.

"Thank you. I owe you one, Harry. One favour. Any time you need it, just let me know."

She walked him back to his friends and told them that the castle was Black-free. Most of them sighed in relief and snuggled deeper into their sleeping bags.

"Lights out." She yelled and settled at the entrance of the Great Hall with a tired sigh.

"McCaul?"

She knew that voice. It was usually followed by a question aimed at finding out what her problem was.

"What is it, Wood?"

"I read the magazine."

"Yeah. But why is this a necessary discussion in the middle of the night, moments after a mass murdered broke into the school?"

She distinctly heard him chuckle _. Crazy Quidditch Captain…_

"Yup. Because I realized that I owe you an apology. I honestly didn't think you knew anything about Quidditch, let alone be so well versed with the latest rules and updates."

Tori gulped, thankful that it was too dark for him to see her face.

"Y-yeah. My dad's really keen about it. Nuts almost. Can't help catching snippets here and there." She hoped her tone seemed light and uninterested.

"That's pretty cool. And thanks for the heads up. Knowing that a spectator can catch the Snitch in order to end an overdrawn match is very important information. I can't be caught slacking when it comes to the news and updates if I want to play pro someday."

This caught her attention. She had never really thought about what he planned to do after Hogwarts but this did seem like the most likely option.

"Pro huh? You're that confident?" There was light hint of a challenge in her voice.

"Pretty much. You'll see, we'll come back from behind and win the Cup this year."

His grin was infectious and she found herself smiling alongside.

"You'd better. I'm tired of seeing that crooked slant on Flint's face."

"Huh?"

"You can't seriously call that a smirk, can you?" she rolled her eyes dramatically and he bit his lip to stop bursting into laughter.

"Head Girl's got a sense of humor."

"Only because the Quidditch Captain knows how to take a joke."

"Touché."

His eyes were sparkling and Tori wondered how many different shades of brown were swirling around in there.

…

* * *

 **Please review. PLEASE.**

 **Cheers?**


	6. A Midwinter Evening's Tale

**A/N - This was initially supposed to be a filler, but I changed my mind midway, so forgive any abrupt changes.**

 **Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything.**

* * *

"So, McCaul. Tell me a bit about your family."

Tori looked up in surprise. She and Adam were reviewing the duty lists from the previous months to determine patrol partners. They didn't usually speak unless necessary but apparently he had other plans.

"Umm, what?"

"You heard correctly. I asked about your family." He had an amused expression on his face.

"This is a very random thing to ask though. Any intention of letting me know the reason behind your sudden interest?"

"It's basically just curiosity. I've only ever mixed with pure-bloods before and since you are slowly becoming my friend, I thought it only natural to ask."

Tori beamed at him in response to which he shielded his eyes in mock horror.

"Okay. So my dad's a wizard and my mum is a muggleborn. They didn't go to Hogwarts. My dad is an Arithmancy professor at one of the schools in the south and my mother works as a Healer at St. Mungo's."

"So you're a half-blood? Okay. Tell me about your grandparents. Both sets."

"On my dad's side, my grandfather was a Potions expert in California and my grandmother taught History of Magic in the same place. On my mum's side, my grandfather is a psychiatrist and my grandmother is a retired chef."

"What's a 'psychiatrist'?"

"Muggle equivalent of a Healer."

"I thought those were doctors."

"They are. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine. Psychiatrists are doctors specializing in illnesses which affect the mind."

"I see. That's quite interesting."

"You're telling me? I'm really surprised that you know about doctors." She said with an impressed look.

"Just because I'm in Slytherin doesn't mean I disrespect non magical beings." He chuckled.

"So I've noticed. What about your family, Adam?"

"Pretty standard. Dad works in the Ministry and mum stays at home. Both grandfathers also worked in the Ministry and both grandmothers stayed at home. I will probably also work in the Ministry and my sisters will probably stay at home."

She bit back a laugh. At the beginning of the year, she had never expected to become friends with the Head Boy. But here they were, discussing their families in a very relaxed manner. Perhaps generalizing was not a good idea and giving people a chance to be themselves helped in ways that no one understood. She made a mental note to lecture Wood about this.

"How are things with Sarah?"

Sarah Alexander was Adam's girlfriend, a seventh year Ravenclaw with a knack for Potions.

"Pretty good. I'm glad I gave into my crush last year and told her how I felt. I'm even more happy that she asked me out. A bruised ego is not something I can deal with."

"What about you? I don't really know much about you other than the little that I've gathered from working with you this year. Dating history? Current status? Care to enlighten a curious gent?" He flashed her a cheeky grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know? But really though, there isn't much to know. I've only had one proper boyfriend and I've gone out a few times with random people because I had a lot of free time at one point of time."

"Who did you date?"

"A very moody Gryffindor. This was back when I was in fourth year and he was in sixth. I don't know whether you heard of him. Stanley Davis?"

He shook his head after a while. She didn't expect him to remember Stan. He wasn't very popular and kept himself to himself. So much so that his girlfriend hardly ever got to see him. It was not a great relationship, to say the least.

…

Tori and Adam stood outside the Headmaster's office, wondering why they had been summoned. The letter had been a tad ambiguous, not to mention, slightly suspicious.

"Ah, Ms. McCaul, Mr. Greengrass, please sit down. Liquorice Bite?"

They both shook their heads and settled down.

"The reason I have called you both here is because we will be having an event this year. Something that hasn't formally been part of Hogwarts for many years."

He looked over his half-moon glasses and appraised them silently.

"We shall have a Winter's Ball in order to lighten the atmosphere that has been so rudely dampened by our guests at the castle gates. The responsibility of organizing the ball will lie in the hands of the teachers. However, as Head Boy and Head Girl, I need you two to conduct a survey to determine the kind of music, food and dress code would be most appreciated. I fear we might be a little old fashioned when it comes to these things. So I leave this in your capable hands. Delegate duties to the Prefects and Captains as you feel necessary. However, only those above the age of thirteen may take part."

Satisfied that they had both heard him through, he dismissed them with a wave of his hand, chuckling at the bewildered expressions he had managed to conjure on two of the most composed students' faces.

…

Hermione looked down at the form in front of her and frowned. Why was this unnecessary item being shoved at everyone? Honestly, she had better things to do.

 _1._ _List 5 types of refreshments you would like to have at the Winter's Ball._

 _2._ _Would you prefer classical, alternative or popular music? Please specify if it falls outside of these three._

 _3._ _Is formal wear acceptable?_

 _4._ _If the answer to #3 is 'yes', are gowns/suits/dress robes the acceptable?_

 _5._ _If the answer to #3 is 'no', please specify the type of clothing appropriate._

 _6._ _If the answer to #4 is 'no', please specify the type of clothing appropriate._

She grumbled profusely and finished jotting down her answers. Honestly, such a waste of time.

…

After 6 grueling hours of sifting through surveys and listing responses, the Heads, Prefects and Captains groaned in unison.

"This was a terrible idea," Wood's Scottish accent thicker with tiredness and frustration.

"For once, I agree with you, Wood." Flint snarled at the pile of paper in front of him, annoyed that it didn't promptly burst into flames.

"Well, at least you lot can leave now. Adam and I still have to compile the final list and hand it over to Dumbledore by tonight."

After much grumbling and moving, the library only had Tori, Adam and surprisingly, Oliver Wood.

"Did you need anything, Wood?"

"Just thought I'd help out a bit. Reckon an extra hand won't hurt, Greengrass."

Tori looked at him curiously. She rarely saw him do anything which wasn't related to Quidditch and that too, only when he was forced to do it for the sake of his captaincy.

They worked silently for a while and then Adam went back to his room to get a fresh quill.

Tori was suddenly aware of Wood's presence next to her. It was weird. She felt strangely conscious sitting alone beside him and she tried to shake off the feeling and get back to work.

They both reached for the inkpot at the same time and their hands touched for the briefest of moments.

Normally, Tori didn't bother with accidental brushes or fleeting physical contact with anybody. It was bound to happen when half the students were running about helter skelter. But this time, she jerked her hand away, a shiver running down her spine as she looked at the boy next to her. His brown eyes were puzzled and his brow was scrunched together in a frown.

Nothing happened. They just stared at each other for a while and then Tori went back to scribbling points with her quill.

Adam came back to find a change in the atmosphere, but not something he could really pinpoint.

…

Dumbledore looked at the parchment before him with a satisfied smile on his face. The students had done a good job. This was a thorough and succinct survey and the results had been filtered precisely so that all the teachers had to do was organize the event according to the requirements.

He sent off a few scrolls of paper, instructing each of the professors to attend to a particular task. Hogwarts was going to be in for a real treat.

…

 _You are cordially invited to the Winter's Ball at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _Venue: The Great Hall_

 _Date: 18_ _th_ _December_

 _Dress code: Casual Formals_

 _Time: 7 pm_

 _Please ensure that you are above the age of thirteen. All underage students will not be able to enter. Try it at your own risk._

"Wow… That's cheerful." Ron muttered to Harry as they both stood in front of the large poster which had been enchanted to appear at the entrance of each floor.

"That's the last day of term. Everyone goes back on the 19th. Smart move by Dumbledore. Aftermath of the Ball won't have to be dealt with at school," whispered Hermione, her nose wrinkling in disapproval.

"What the bloody hell does 'casual formal' mean?" Harry asked.

"Don't look at me. I know less about this stuff than a troll."

They parted ways with Hermione as she made her way to her Muggle Studies class.

…

"So we'll start practices as soon as you lot are back for term. Three days a week to start off and then we up the ante."

Everyone groaned at the breakfast table. Wood was back in Quidditch mode full throttle.

"Wood, can you stop thinking or talking about Quidditch for a few hours?"

"Yeah. When's the last time you thought of anything other than Quidditch?"

His brown eyes moved to the far end of the table for a fleeting moment but it was just that. A fleeting moment. It was, however, not missed by the person to whom his eyes had moved.

Tori felt her breath hitch as his eyes made contact with hers. She wanted to smack herself on the head for reacting like this.

"Tori? Do you want to tell me something?"

Tori looked at her best friend with a blank stare.

"Maybe something to do with you staring at a certain Quidditch Captain at the far end of the table and him staring at you as well?"

"What? He was staring?"

"Don't act dumb. You saw him and went red. You are so fucking transparent."

"Fine. You're right, Alex. I was staring."

"Anything else?"

"Not at the moment. I may have developed a tiny crush. But it'll go away soon enough. It's happened to me before. You know it has. I just have to not act on it and everything will be fine."

"I know. Exchange students prove that theory for you."

…

As December arrived, homework and assignments kept piling up. The NEWTs students were having a particularly rough time with Snape in a particularly foul mood. He was deducting points and awarding detention left, right and center. Flitwick looked even smaller from all the work that he was doing and his usually bubbly demeanor was somewhat downcast, even when his students were able to perform well in his class. McGonagall was far more strict and hardly allowed for any tardiness. She was especially hard on her own House. The Gryffindors groaned because they had to face the wrath of two Heads.

Defense Against The Dark Arts was a class everyone looked forward to. The seventh years had just started on the Patronus Charm. Finding a happy memory was proving to be quite difficult for a lot of people but the excitement of being able to conjure a corporeal Patronus was far greater than any disappointment.

Tori had almost finished reading the books that Lupin had given her. She stayed up at night, casting _Muffliato_ around her room, and studying till sleep took over. She had been working extra hard to hand in assignments on time and manage all of her Head Girl duties. Stress always showed on her face and this was the reason why she was being interrogated by her friends at lunch.

"You look awful, Tori."

Tori rolled her eyes and continued eating the chicken in front of her.

"Mary's right. You've been working too hard and stress always shows on you," Liz told her calmly.

"You didn't even go to Hogsmeade with us. When's the last time you relaxed?"

"I don't know, Alex. I'm fine. I'm just tired. Like Liz said, I've been working really hard and that's why I haven't had time for much else."

"Well, you don't have any assignments to give in," said Alex while pouring stew into her bowl, "so tonight you're going to hang out with us in the common room."

Tori opened her mouth to protest but three pairs of eyes immediately shut her up. She thought she'd finish the last chapter left in Lupin's reading list but there was no time to argue now. She'd slip out at some point of time without them noticing.

As it happened, she got a letter from Lupin just before dinner.

 _Dear Ms. McCaul,_

 _I'm afraid I will have to postpone our sessions till after Christmas break. I am currently slightly under the weather and will not be able to take classes either. Take this time to relax and enjoy yourself. These are some of the simplest times in life. Make the most of them._

 _Yours truly,_

 _R.J. Lupin._

…

"WHAT are you guys going to wear next Friday?"

Mary was bobbing up and down on her seat. Liz was playing Gobstones with Sean while Alex and Tori lay sprawled out on the couch.

"Yeah. What the fuck does 'casual formals' mean, Tori?" Alex kicked her slightly to wake her up.

"Basically means you can wear anything as long as its not tracks and sweats. Dresses, skirts, slacks, shirts and what have you."

"That's perfect! Let's decide right now."

Alex chucked a cushion at Mary and missed because of her fantastic aim. Soon a tiny scuffle had begun and Tori ran to a corner of the common room and threw a cushion at Alex. She ducked last minute and it hit an unsuspecting Quidditch captain who had just entered through the portrait hole.

Tori covered her mouth with her hand, desperately trying not to laugh at his bewildered expression.

"Not bad, McCaul. That's a fine throwing arm you've got there. You'd make a fair Chaser."

He grinned easily as he said that and Tori tired her hardest to seem unfazed. She shrugged and threw another cushion at Alex, this time, hitting the mark exactly.

Oliver watched in amusement as the twins also joined the fight. His eyes kept darting to a head of black hair. Her uninhibited laughter making her face glow, she was a sight to behold, terrorizing everyone with well-aimed throws. He could see why she had been made Head Girl. She had a confident air about her and didn't take offence easily. She judged according to behavior and not House.

"Wood?"

"Oi Oliver! What's with the moony eyed look on your face?"

"He's probably thinking of some new feint that he read about."

"Blimey! Does that mean we'll have to start practice early?"

"Shhh! Katie, don't give him any ideas!"

"I think he has plenty of those without us, don't you think?"

Oliver was suddenly aware of four sets of eyes looking at him oddly. He turned around and saw the curious expressions on the faces of the twins, Katie and Angelina.

"What?" he snapped.

"Just wondering where you were zoning off."

"Yeah. It's not always that we see our beloved Captain not obsessing about Quidditch."

The twins grinned at each other while Oliver rolled his eyes. Sometimes he felt like all his actions were being monitored by his nosy teammates.

…

It was the second Hogsmeade weekend and the four girls had decided to look for something nice to wear to the Ball. It was basically Mary's idea but the other three had been surprisingly willing as well. This was something new and that too, in their last year. Excitement was high.

It didn't take too long to find what they wanted because everyone more or less knew what they were looking for. It was snowing and they quickly went into The Three Broomsticks. There were no free tables and the place was packed with students. Tori's eyes locked with Wood's and he beckoned her over to their table. She gulped and nodded her head. Soon they were settled at a large table along with half of the Gryffindor team.

"Did you guys go dress shopping?" Alicia asked, looking at their bags.

Mary nodded her head vigorously and starting pulling out everything that they had bought amidst violent protests from Liz and Alex. The twins snickered and Wood just sipped his butterbeer.

"What about dates? Fred and I still haven't asked anybody, in case you ladies are interested," said George, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Dates aren't mandatory. When Adam and I submitted the list to Dumbledore, we made sure to include that bringing dates was strictly optional. So that no one feels embarrassed or harried, trying to get a date. You can enjoy a dance like this without having someone on your arm. It can be about friends having a good time. Plus, there are no rules against asking people to the dance. It's just not mandatory," Tori said, chugging her butterbeer.

"You're on a first name basis with the Head Boy? He's fit."

Tori couldn't help but chuckle at Alicia's tone. Yes, Adam was attractive, but it was always funny to watch other people gush about him.

"Yeah. But he's still a Slytherin. Can't be good news," Wood said in annoyance.

"Nobody wants him to be good news, Oliver! Do you think girls fantasize about that? No. Bad boys are what the greatest fantasies are made of," she finished dreamily.

Wood grimaced slightly and shrugged his shoulders. He was used to his third Chaser admiring people's looks, even those he didn't understand.

"Right. Spinnet, you look like you just had a dozen Firewhiskey chocolates," snorted Fred.

"Why don't we ask Tori whether Greengrass is worth fantasizing about? You guys share a Tower. Seen anything you shouldn't have?" asked Alicia with a suggestive look.

Wood spat out his butterbeer onto an unsuspecting George.

"Oi! Who gave you permission to spray me?"

Tori was the first one to burst into giggles. She clutched her sides, her body shaking with mirth. The flummoxed expression on Wood's face didn't help. Her laughter slowly became silent as she started punching Alex hilariously.

"Motherfuck! Stop whacking me, Tori. Merlin, Wood! Look what you've done to her!"

But it was no use. Tori's laugh was infectious and soon the entire table was wiping tears from their eyes. Liz helped George get clean with a quick _Scourgify_ and they all got up to leave.

It had stopped snowing a while back but the roads were completely white. They started their long walk back to the castle. Tori found herself walking next to Wood and a wicked idea popped up in her head. She leaned towards him slightly and whispered into his ear so that nobody else could hear.

"You know, bad boys don't always make for the greatest fantasies. Sometimes the best ones are about athletes."

She bit back a laugh and ran ahead to join her friends, leaving behind a stunned Quidditch Captain.

…

"Oi! Hurry up! We need to reach the Great Hall right now!"

Alex waited impatiently as Liz and Mary finished getting dressed. Honestly, there wasn't much to do. Liz had worn a red dress and heels, her wavy hair, twisted up into a messy bun. Mary was wearing a long black skirt and a blue, lace blouse. She had left her long, reddish hair open. Alex had paired a short, flared skirt with a fitted, purple, turtleneck. Her curls were bouncing magnificently with every step she took.

They walked down and were amazed at the sight before them. The four long tables had been cleared away and instead there were dozens of small tables and cushioned chairs, all bordering the walls of the Hall. The middle of the Hall had been left clear for dancing and enchanted snowflakes hung about the air. There were large Christmas trees covered in snow and festive decorations hung about the walls. The entire floor had been bewitched to resemble that of an ice skating rink. It was one of the most beautiful sights they had ever beheld.

Tori stood near the refreshments table and looked around happily. The teachers had done a fantastic job. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to see the handsome grin of one of the twins.

"Milady, might I request the pleasure of a dance?"

She laughed at his mock gallant tone and nodded her head. The song playing was a peppy number and she and Fred wriggled and twisted in the most ridiculous ways, probably causing quite a few laughs. It was fun to dance with someone who could let loose with such abandon. The song finally finished and they grinned at each other, slightly out of breath. The next number was a more intimate piece and she prepared to move off the dance floor.

"Do you mind if I cut in?"

Tori's heart leaped to her throat as she recognized the Scottish accent. She looked up and saw Wood standing in front of her, his head cocked to one side and a hand outstretched.

"Not at all."

He took her hand in his, sending tingles up her arm. His other hand placed itself on her waist while she put her free hand on his shoulder. They moved together with the music, Wood twirling her occasionally. Tori could feel her heart beat escalating continually and tried to regulate her breathing. He dipped her gracefully and brought her up just as the song ended.

She stared into his eyes. They looked so expressive and vulnerable, staring at her with a strange look. Nothing else seemed to register for a while and she could swear that they were slowing leaning toward each other. Thankfully, Dumbledore took that moment to declare the feast ready and they quickly separated.

…

That night, Tori went to sleep peacefully, her mind dreaming of a pair of beautiful, brown eyes and enticing lips, the lower one distinctly fuller than the upper.

At the other end of the castle, Oliver tossed and turned. He couldn't get the image of her out of his head. Her simple, blue dress which shimmered every time she twirled, her sparkling smile, her intoxicating eyes, her beautifully tanned skin.

 _Beautifully tanned skin?_ Why was her skin tanned? As far as he knew, she didn't play Quidditch and was cooped up in the castle most of the time, trying to study or finish assigning duties.

How odd.

…

* * *

 **So, what do you think? Too fast? Too slow? This isn't anywhere near the middle of the story so don't think that people will be getting together pat. Well, some people might. You never know.**

 **Anyway. Please review. Means the world.**

 **Cheers**


	7. Confuse-Me-Not

**A/N- Writer's block meet Readers, Readers meet Writer's block. It took a long time for me to write this chapter. I can't figure put how I want things to pan put between these two at the moment. Any ideas on how Wood would react? Let me know!**

 **Disclaimer: So, I don't own anything. Really, I don't.**

* * *

Tori woke up next morning to a letter from her mother. She was quite surprised because her mother didn't get much time to write to her. After Tori had joined Hogwarts, her mother had started training to become a Healer. She was now part of St. Mungo's and barely got any free time to spend with her family. She often joked that she had spent all her time with Tori before she went to school and had used up her 'family time'.

 _Dear Tori,_

 _I wonder how surprised you are to have gotten this letter from me. I think you'll be even more surprised once you finish reading this. I have finally managed to get leave from work for a couple of weeks. Your father is overjoyed and has impulsively booked a vacation for us. For once, I'm glad that he hasn't thought twice about this. I have owled your Headmaster and Head of House, you will need to apparate back home on the 20_ _th_ _. We shall be going to Spain for a fortnight using the Floo Network._

 _Very excited to hear all about what has been happening in school! See you soon, darling._

 _Love,_

 _Mum._

Tori stood still for a few seconds and only snapped out of her trance when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and on seeing Adam's confused expression, she screamed and launched herself into a hug.

The poor Head Boy didn't see it coming and flailed about for a while. If Tori had been a little heavier, he would probably have been knocked over. She finally let him go but the sheer glee on her face didn't leave and Adam smiled at her uncertainly.

"Alright there, Vic?"

"Never been better actually. I just found out that I'm going to be going on a holiday with my parents to Spain. Spain! Can you imagine that? Adam, I might even meet Theo! Merlin! I have to tell the others!"

Adam watched as she muttered something and then rushed off. He waited for a few seconds for her to return and sure enough, she did.

"Something wrong, Vic?" His smirk was barely concealed.

She shifted around and mumbled something.

"Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

"I forgot that they've all left on the train."

"Dear me, our Head Girl's becoming quite sloppy. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

"Shove off, Adam." She frowned as he continued chuckling.

…

Home had never seemed as welcoming as it did when Tori apparated there the next day. She ran in and hugged her mother with all her might. There was unsuppressed glee on her face as well and they were soon joined by her father.

It didn't take her too long to sort through her clothes and pack her bag. She had spent the previous day making various random lists about the trip. She hadn't been this excited since she had gotten her letter from Hogwarts.

Later that day, they stepped into the fireplace and flooed to their destination. It was around 6 o'clock local time when they had changed into fresh attire and settled down into their hotel. The parts of Spain they were visiting, were wizard-majority areas. She hoped that they would stop at a beach somewhere. She had packed beach clothes on a whim, after all.

Before dinner that night, she rummaged through her notes, looking for the last letter she had gotten from Theo before he left Hogwarts. He had left her his address and she checked it with a sad smile.

It was in Murcia.

It wasn't on their list of cities to visit, but perhaps she could persuade her parents to squeeze it in somewhere.

Or not.

…

The first week of the trip, they spent exploring Barcelona and Valencia. Tori was mesmerized by the foreign beauty of the place. The people were so different, the climate was so different, the culture was so different; she wondered how it was possible for the same species to be so dissimilar.

Her mother was delighted to be able to spend time with her family again. She was full of laughter and enthusiasm and it seeped into everyone and everything around her. Tori's father tried a lot of new food and took far too many pictures for anyone's liking.

Almost every dish that Tori sampled made her squeal in delight. Valencia had two of the best desserts she had ever tasted and they were specially made during Christmas; peladilla and Alicante nougat. Her stomach was much too small to satisfy her dessert cravings.

Christmas day dawned bright and sunny which was a huge change for Tori. Every year she spent it in the pristine, white cold at Hogwarts, without most of her friends. This time she was with her family and she suspected that the warmth that filled her was not just from the delicious coffee liqueor.

They sat outside one of the beautiful works of architecture near the center of the city.

"Dad, when are we going to Seville?"

"Tomorrow. Why?" he asked while sipping his iced tea.

"I was wondering if we could make an unplanned stop. I saw this place on the map and there is a lovely beach located near it."

"Where?"

"Murcia. It's in between Valencia and Seville. We could stop there for a day or two and then head south like we had originally planned. What do you think?" she asked cautiously.

"I don't see why not. It'll be something new! Something that hasn't been planned too carefully!"

Tori grinned at him and continued munching on her dessert. If she was lucky, she might run into Theo.

…

Oliver yawned and opened his eyes slowly. He had gone to bed quite late last night. The Ravenclaw game was coming up in a few weeks and if they were going to salvage their chance of getting the Cup, they would have to win this game. Slytherin had beaten Ravenclaw and they in turn had beaten Hufflepuff. It was all going to come down to point differences in the end. They'd have to keep a huge margin while winning as well.

He'd stayed up devising different plays and worrying his head off about Harry who still didn't have a broom. The twins would probably never take anything seriously but their Quidditch never suffered due to their prankster ways. He didn't really worry about his Chasers. They worked beautifully together and their differing personalities made them an even more intimidating prospect.

No. They were never short on talent. Just luck. Maybe his last year would bring them some.

Or not.

"Oliver! Get dressed immediately. We're late for breakfast already and Anna's very hungry."

He sighed and quickly got ready. No point in spoiling everyone else's mood. He ran down and scooped up Anna into his arms.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, love. Let's get some food, yeah?"

…

Tori couldn't believe her eyes. Theo was standing at the shop on the opposite side of the street. She ran up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, his blue eyes sparkling with surprise and delight as he recognized her.

"Victoria! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on holiday with my parents. I was hoping to run into you," she smiled at him as he shook his head in disbelief.

"I cannot believe you are here! This is such a wonderful surprise!" he said and hugged her tightly.

Tori was slightly caught off guard but hugged him back nonetheless. He smelt of lemon and the ocean. It was very refreshing.

"How long are you here?"

"A couple of days, I think. We hadn't planned on visiting Murcia but I didn't want to miss the chance of bumping into you."

"I see. Well, I'm glad you changed your plans. I actually have some work to do. Let's meet in the evening. There's a café next to the beach. They have some wonderful desserts there," he finished with a wink.

Tori laughed and nodded her head. So far, this vacation was turning out to be quite brilliant.

…

Oliver was bored out of his mind. He had taken Anna out with himself so that his parents had some time together. She had instantly started playing with some children and he was left on a bench, yawning and checking his watch. He looked around him, keeping an eye on his little sister when he saw something impossible.

 _Fuck. Is she stripping?_

 _Get a grip, Oliver. This is a beach, she's probably wearing something underneath._

Indeed, she was. Her red bikini top and black beach shorts were not particularly revealing but it boggled Oliver's mind nonetheless. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that Victoria McCaul would be next to him on a Spanish beach, in very attractive beachwear.

 _Damn, she's fit._

 _Wait, what? NO! Stop thinking like this!_

While Oliver had this internal dilemma with himself, Tori had just caught a glimpse of Annabelle. Her heart stopped for a moment and her gaze flickered to Oliver's direction. She was shocked to see that he had been staring at her. A warm tingle passed down her spine and she gulped slowly. Who would have thought…

"Oliver, fancy meeting you here," she said as she slowly walked up to him.

It took him a while to respond but he nodded eventually. He was finding it very difficult to form coherent sentences and instead, settled with grunts and nods.

"Tori!"

Anna ran up and hugged the older girl around her knees. Tori laughed and bent down, hugging her back. The look in her black eyes was so loving and Tori found herself forgetting about her crush-induced breathing difficulty.

"Let's go and get something to eat. Ollie looks sick. What's wrong?" she asked her big brother worriedly.

Oliver quickly schooled his features and shook his head.

"Nothing, Anna. Let's find Mum and Dad. Then we can all go for lunch together."

"I want to go with Tori!"

He looked at Tori unsurely. She smiled and nodded her head.

"Alright. I'll tell Mum and Dad that you're having lunch separately."

"I want you to come as well!"

"What? Why?"

"Because I love you both! And I never see you together! Please!"

Oliver sighed and nodded his head. This was going to be very uncomfortable.

…

"So, Anna, how long have you been in Murcia?" Tori asked while munching on a roasted tomato.

"We got here on Christmas Eve. But I haven't been able to do anything fun. Ollie's being a grump," she replied, sending a glare towards her brother.

"Is that so? Well we'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

Oliver saw the glint in her eyes and was about to open his mouth to say something but he felt a kick on his shin.

"Do you want to go on a bike ride, Anna? We could go together," she said and felt a glare on her right side, "and Oliver can come along as well," she said, smiling sweetly at him and kicking him once more.

"Will you stop that?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, returning to her food.

…

Tori held Anna's hand and walked towards a rental shop. She intensely aware of Oliver's gaze on her back but she kept walking and talking to the little girl. She was growing even more fond of her. She was full of life and unbelievably expressive; everything that Tori had never been as a little girl. She kind of envied the tiny ball of energy bouncing along next to her.

"Here we are. Alright, which bike should be take? This one is a two-person bike. Do you want to ride it with me, Anna?"

The little girl nodded vigorously. Oliver chose a single seater and followed them grumpily.

The cycled for a long time, taking in the sights and sounds of the beach at dusk. Tori laughed along at all the little things Anna said, occasionally sneaking a glance at the boy next to her. He was frowning and cycling along, not really paying attention to anything around him. He would probably crash into something if he wasn't careful.

What she didn't realize was that he'd crash into them.

The two bikes toppled into the sand and Tori instinctively grabbed onto Anna and was surprised to feel a pair of hands wrap around her just as they fell.

She checked to see if Anna was alright and then glanced at the arms clasped around her waist. Anna wriggled out of her grasp and started shaking the sand out of her clothes.

Tori's breathing had become labored as she felt roughly calloused yet strangely soft hands graze her stomach. The loose shirt she had worn on top of her bikini had shifted during the fall and she become increasingly aware of the rapid rise and fall of his chest against her back.

She shifted slightly to get a look at his face. His lips were parted slightly and his brown hair was ruffled. She couldn't stop looking into his eyes which were so vulnerable and confused.

Oliver couldn't comprehend the current situation. One minute he had been cycling along, thinking about strategies and the next minute he was on the sand with his arms around Tori's extremely shapely waist. He could smell her soft hair and it appeared to be decapitating his mind.

Tori reached over and removed a few strands of hair from his eyes and Oliver was struggling to steady his breathing. Her eyes travelled to his lips again and she noticed, yet again, that the lower lip was so much fuller than the upper one. Her hand floated down to his cheek and lingered there for a little while. Every little movement of hers was reflected with a tightening of Oliver's arms around her.

She had promised herself that she wouldn't act on her crush but he was making it very difficult for her. His eyes had been flitting between her lips and her eyes and she knew that it was now or never.

"Victoria?"

They sprang apart as if hit by lightning and Tori adjusted her shirt while Oliver started tugging at his hair.

"You were supposed to meet me at the café. I thought you got lost, so I came looking for you."

Tori managed a smile in Theo's direction and nodded her head stiffly. She glanced at Oliver briefly but he was too preoccupied with his hair to notice.

"I'm sorry. Let's go," she said, picking herself off the ground.

She spotted Anna building a sand castle a little way away and waved at her. She waved back enthusiastically and Tori smiled.

"Oliver, how long are you here?"

"Dunno."

Right. His short reply said a lot of things to her and she decided to leave it at that in case she began to overthink things too soon.

"I'll see you back in school then."

Oliver nodded his head, not really looking in her direction. Once he was sure she wasn't looking at him, he glanced between the pair and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. From the back, they looked almost similar; two heads of shoulder length black hair, tanned skin and lean gait. Only, he could see the red colour of her bikini through the shirt and he kicked the sand in irritation.

…

* * *

 **A/N- So this is quite an odd chapter. I tried really hard to look for a nice beach and I haven't really put in any details about Spain because I'm not good at that sort of writing. Let me know what you think. Any improvements? Suggestions? You name it.**

 **Also, if you want to know what I imagined Oliver would look like in that intense, sand-rolling moment, here's a link ;)** .

 **REVIEW!**


	8. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

**A/N- Sorry for the slipshod chapter last time. And for springing Theo on you. Hopefully this chapter will make up for all that. If you still have any doubts, feel free to ask.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Tori poked the nougat in front of her. She was sitting at the beachside café with Theo and finding it very difficult on concentrate on anything he was saying. Needless to say, this was something new. When Theo had been an exchange student at Hogwarts, Tori had clung to every word he had said, soaking up his accent and marveling at his black hair and blue eyes. But now, he had had to shake her in order to bring her back to the present conversation.

It was safe to say that she had definitely gotten over her crush on him.

"What are you going to do after Hogwarts?"

"Well," she said, frowning slightly, "I'm working on a few possibilities with McGonagall. Nothing's certain as of now."

He nodded his head but there was a strange look in his eyes. He took her hand in his and started stroking it lightly. Tori flinched visibly but didn't say anything.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, Victoria," he said, his voice low and his eyes looking straight into hers.

"But I have."

He looked a little startled but a small smile came up on his face.

"Is it because of your boyfriend?"

"Huh?" Tori wondered if she had missed a part of the conversation.

"That was your boyfriend on the beach, no?"

"Beach? Oh. No, that wasn't my boyfriend. That's a classmate and we just fell while cycling. Hence the compromising position. Do you remember him? The Quidditch-crazy guy in my house. Oliver Wood. He's Captain now."

He nodded his head and smiled broadly. He was so handsome but she was no longer attracted to him. Funny how things worked.

"He is not your boyfriend. There is somebody else, no?"

"Sorry?"

"Because you say that you have stopped thinking about me. There is somebody else. Why else would you stop thinking about me?"

Tori scrunched up her nose in disapproval. What was it with boys and entitlement?

"No, Theo. There isn't anybody else. I stopped thinking about you without there being someone else to take over my thoughts. It can happen in that way as well. It's not a permanent position that always needs to be occupied. I can go with not fancying anyone."

He picked up the slight annoyance in her tone and hastily nodded his head.

"You are right, of course. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that."

"I accept your apology. Now where are these other amazing desserts you were talking about? I've just had a subpar nougat. Were you lying?" She teased him lightly.

"Of course not! I would never do that!" He said in a mock-offended tone and then grinned at her.

…

The trip was over sooner than she had expected. A fortnight had gone by in a flash and Tori found herself boarding the Hogwarts Express on the 2nd of January.

The first person she saw was Oliver Wood who said nothing and moved into a separate compartment and shut the door with a loud thud.

 _He's avoiding me. So mature._

She lugged her belongings into the nearest empty compartment and sat down with a sigh. That stupid boy. He was going to avoid her now? Honestly, she had picked the most immature git to have a crush on.

She heard heated voices just outside the compartment and wondered what was going on. Before she could get up, Hermione walked into the compartment angrily and Tori could swear she had seen a blonde head disappear.

The younger girl settled down and opened a book, angrily reading at twice her normal pace.

"Umm, Hermione? Is something wrong?"

She knew this was a silly question to ask since there was something wrong. But it was perhaps better to start this way.

"Boys," she said with a huff and put down her book, "they're so insufferably stupid and insensitive."

Tori nodded her head, wholeheartedly agreeing with her sentiment.

"I mean, who does he think he is? I know I'm not a pureblood like him but why does he have to keep insulting me like this? I try my best to stay away from him but somehow or the other, he finds some way of getting to me!"

Tori was tempted to ask who this boy was but she had fairly good idea about his identity.

"Don't let anyone get to you, Hermione. I know for a fact that you're the smartest witch in your year and possibly a few other years as well. I think you must account for jealousy. It might seem impossible to you right now, but people have the strangest ways of behaving around someone they're jealous of."

Hermione stopped what she was about to say, her mouth still open as she considered what the older girl had said. She had never thought about it. After all, she was used to being referred to as a 'dirty little mudblood' and nothing more. This theory was blowing her mind.

"I hope Prof. Lupin starts taking classes again," she said, changing the subject after a while.

"Me too," said Tori, hoping she could recommence her training as well.

"Snape set us an essay on Werewolves! Can you imagine?"

"Really? But third years don't start Nocturnal Beasts till much later," said Tori, curious about the Potions teacher's motives.

"That's what I said. It just seems like very odd timing. I mean, as soon as Lupin goes off sick, Snape sets us an essay on Werewolves."

"He set us an essay related to Werewolves as well. Even though they aren't really a part of the NEWT syllabus."

"You know, I realized that it was a full moon on the day that Snape set us the essay," said Hermione, her eyebrows furrowing.

"You're right. In fact, Lupin looks really ill about once a month. And he went off around the full moon last month." Tori was speaking slowly, as if trying to make sense of something.

She and Hermione looked at each other strangely. The same thoughts and questions were flitting through their minds. The library would, no doubt, be flooded with their presence for long periods of time.

…

Harry stood in front of his Captain, unsure of what to do. He had just broken the news to Wood, that he had gotten a Firebolt for Christmas but McGonagall had taken it away for inspection.

The look on his face was something between resigned rage and horrified constipation. He was worried that Wood was going to burst. He glanced at the twins uncertainly, who were also trying to gauge their Captain's reaction.

"I'm going to talk to McGonagall. She can't do that. A Firebolt."

He walked back to where Ron was sitting. They had stopped speaking to Hermione after she had reported the Firebolt. It was a low move, even for her. They were still struggling with Snape's essay and the added worry of the Firebolt and the impending match with Ravenclaw made it hard for Harry to concentrate.

He saw Hermione's bushier-than-usual hair duck under the portrait hole and leave the common room. He didn't really care about her workload at this point of time. She had no business meddling like that. Best friend or not.

He could see Ron was going to pass out any moment and jabbed him in the ribs.

"Oi! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"You can't pass out now, mate. Snape's essay's due tomorrow. I don't fancy detention right now. Especially with Wood having gotten the news of the confiscated Firebolt."

"Why can't we just ask Herm-" He stopped mid-sentence as he realized that they were not talking to their other best friend.

Could she have chosen a worse time to start brownnosing? Honestly, the girl was downright mental. Plus that cat of hers was becoming more of a menace. He was sure Scabbers would have a heart attack soon, what with all the sudden attacks by the ginger cat.

…

"Have you thought of a spell you'd like to work with?"

Lupin looked even more haggard than before. Something that Tori didn't think was possible. She nodded her head and went through everything she had thought about during the gap.

"I'd like to change the _Aguamenti_ spell. I'd like to make it produce ice instead of water."

Lupin raised an eyebrow but nodded his head nonetheless.

"Any particular reason for selecting that particular spell?"

"Well," she had thought about this many times herself, "I thought this would be a spell which could most easily be modified in this way. After all, water and ice and different physical states of the same compound."

"Alright. I'm presuming you have come up with an incantation to strengthen your intent?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Alright. You know the basics and the theory. Now, cast the original spell once. And then try our modification. Remember, intent is half your work done."

She took in a deep breath.

"Aguamenti!"

A jet of water burst from the tip of her wand.

She took in a few more deep breaths and gripped her wand tighter.

"Aguamenti glacius."

This time, the jet of water was much weaker.

Tori was disappointed. It seemed like she had weakened her ability with the original spell. However, she decided to try once again.

Clearing her mind of all thoughts except water changing to ice, she closed her eyes and cast the spell.

"Aguamenti glacius!"

The same thing occurred again. Three more tries and she had the same result each time. She was beginning to feel tired and Lupin asked her to sit down.

"What are you thinking while casting the spell?"

"Water turning to ice."

"I see. Perhaps, you need to think of something else. You need to be very clear about your intent. Your incantation will only further strengthen your intent. But don't forget about execution. Your wand movement might have to change. Keep these things in mind and we'll practice again next week."

Tori nodded but couldn't hide the disappointment on her face.

"Don't worry, Victoria. This is very difficult and _very_ advanced magic. Very few witches and wizards are capable of this. You must not feel disheartened. Think about the things I told you and we'll see how you fare next week," he finished with an encouraging smile.

…

Tori glanced at the clock. It was a little past midnight and the common room was empty. The big Ravenclaw-Gryffindor match was the next day and everyone had gone off to bed in order to wake up on time.

Everyone except a preoccupied Head Girl and an oblivious Quidditch Captain.

Tori had completely lost track of time in the common room. Normally she would've shifted to her room in the Heads' Tower after the last patrol had ended but worrying about Lupin's training had completely occupied her mind.

She got up and stretched, hoping to leave without alerting Oliver. She picked up her books when there was a loud thud followed by an angry expletive.

"Oliver? What's wrong?"

He was currently trying to fix a piece of paper which had been stained with ink but due to his frustration and lack of concentration, he kept missing.

"Hold on. Stop!"

He suddenly became aware of her presence and stopped flicking his wand angrily.

"Scourgify."

Her wand soaked up the extra ink and he sighed and sat down.

"What's wrong?"

"Why do you care?" he said moodily.

"That's the most ridiculous line of argument any ever came up with. Now answer my question."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why? Because it's related to Quidditch? You know, Oliver, just because I don't play, doesn't mean I don't know and understand the game."

He looked up at her suspiciously.

"I did tell you that my father is crazy about the sport, yeah?"

He nodded his head and then covered his face with his hands.

Tori took that as a good sign and sat down next to him. Crush be damned, if she could get him to stop avoiding her, then she'd gladly talk to him about Quidditch.

"I don't know what to do."

"About?"

The game. They've changed their Seeker."

"You mean, Chang's playing?"

"Yeah. This changes the entire dynamics of the match. I've told Harry a few basic things but I'm so worried that we'll lose. And this time, it'll be final."

He looked very dejected. Tori wondered how Quiditch could affect him this much. She wondered if he ever thought about anything else. Probably not.

"I see. Well, Chang's been Ravenclaw's Seeker for two years now. So you shouldn't really have a problem with predicting her style."

"That's the thing. The last two years have been strange. We've not won against Ravenclaw in that period."

"Right. Fifth year, we lost the match and last year, Quidditch was cancelled."

He nodded his head.

"Wait. That means Harry's never played Ravenclaw before."

"Exactly."

"I see. So what do we know about Chang?"

"What do you mean?"

"Her playing style."

"Not much really. The only time I've seen her play properly is during the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match this year."

"I remember that. Malfoy knocked into her and she injured her shoulder. That's how Slytherin got the Snitch."

"And also why Ravenclaw were going to play their Reserve till last night."

"So, we know that she has a weak shoulder and as far as I can recall, she's quite prone to injuries."

"That doesn't tell us much."

"Well, I have watched a few matches so maybe I can help you out."

Oliver perked his ears and looked at her with interest.

"Chang is _very_ good at tailing. That's part of why she's such a good Seeker. I think, what she'll do tomorrow, is tail Harry and when he spots the Snitch, she'll try and get it before him."

'There's no chance of that happening," he scoffed, "Harry's got a Firebolt. There's no way Chang will outfly him with a Comet 260."

"See, this is why I say that I've watched the matches. Chang is not slow. By any means. She's a really good flyer as well. Her main play is to get the opposition to underestimate her and then swoop in and catch the Snitch. She's very agile and good with sudden turns."

Oliver's face paled. He scratched the back of his neck and frowned.

"So, in order for Harry to outplay Chang, he'll have to- "

"-try the Wronski Feint," Oliver finished, looking visibly paler.

"Oliver, has Harry ever tried the Wronski Feint?"

"No."

"And there's no way he can learn it now."

He looked like he was going to collapse. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly.

"Oliver. Breathe."

He looked at her and it seemed like a ghost was staring back. Where was that beautiful tan of his?

She slid her hands down and held his hands in her own. She rubbed circles on the tops of his palms and spoke in a soothing voice.

"Oliver, relax. It'll be fine. Just tell Harry about Chang's style of playing. He's smart. He'll figure out what to do. Besides, like you said, you've got a fucking Firebolt on your team."

That seemed to jolt him out of his trance and he grinned at her weakly. His attention shifted to their interlocked hands and Tori slowly let go. She didn't want him to feel awkward and start avoiding her again.

"Ah, well. Not much else I can do now, can I? Might as well give it out best shot."

She smiled at him and tilted her head to one side.

"Don't worry, Oliver. You'll do brilliantly tomorrow. This is the best side Hogwarts has seen in years. And if any Dementors show up, I've pretty much mastered the Patronus Charm," she finished with a wink.

He laughed and Tori stared at his features in wonder. He looked even younger now. His boyish features become softer and his rich laugh resounding through the common room.

She got up and ruffled his hair.

"All the best for tomorrow, Captain."

…

Tori was uncharacteristically nervous in the stands. Talking to Oliver last night made her feel like she was somehow sharing his burden. She had managed to speak to Harry once before the match and made sure that no one else saw them.

"Harry, listen. About today's match. You've never seen Chang play right?"

He shook his head, turning a little red.

"Well, I'm sure Oliver's told you everything that he could. But just remember one thing, Chang's low dives are subpar. And she's got a knack for tailing people. Just keep those things in mind. You'll brilliantly. Good luck!"

Right now, she could see each player in scarlet and gold looking grim. Oliver had barely shaken hands with Roger Davies and was circling the hoops at the moment.

Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the game began.

It was quite beautiful to watch. Blue and scarlet whizzing past each other. Ravenclaw did not play dirty like Slytherin but they were no pushovers either. Crisp passes and deft turns, perfect timing and immaculate reflexes; the crowd was roaring with excitement.

Tori was caught between admiring Oliver's brilliant saves and monitoring the two Seekers.

She saw Harry dive and predictably, Chang followed. She heard Oliver bellow from the hoops.

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN, HARRY! KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM!"

Trust Oliver to say something so ridiculous.

She couldn't see the Snitch anywhere and they were dangerously close to the ground. At the last minute, Harry pulled up and Chang crashed into the ground.

She couldn't believe it. Harry had just performed the Wronski Feint!

Many things happened at the same time. Harry caught the Snitch, the Ravenclaw supporters booed and three hooded figures came onto the pitch.

Before anyone could do anything, Harry bellowed the Patronus Charm and the three figures crumpled spectacularly.

The entire team rushed to the young boy and hugged him. Gryffindor had won the match and they were in the running for the Cup if they could beat Slytherin with a wide enough margin.

Tori saw Adam and McGonagall standing over the three Dementors and realized that they were Malfoy, Flint and two other Slytherins.

Adam was silently fuming and McGonagall was furious. She was screaming at them while Snape walked up, clearly livid at his House's imbecilic tactics.

She turned around, stifling a giggle when a large figure collided with her.

Actually, she felt like it was a collision because of the force with which the person held onto her. She could smell the distinct scent of his hair as he gripped her tightly.

Oliver Wood was hugging her and after a moment of what she could only term as brain paralysis, she hugged him back.

He finally let go after a while and looked at her. His eyes were dancing with happiness and his hair was adorably messed up. Her hands were still on his shoulders and his were still around her back. He smiled at her and in that moment Tori knew that it had gone too far. There was no going back now. She remembered a line from a Muggle playwright her grandfather loved quoting.

 ** _I am in blood_**

 ** _Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,_**

 ** _Returning were as tedious as go o'er._**

"Oi, Oliver!"

He grinned and let her go, running over to whoever had called him.

Tori sighed and grinned back.

 _Fuck. She was in trouble now._

…

* * *

 **Was that a whiff of Dramione back there? :3 Maybe.**

 **Also, my timeline might be a bit messed up but creative license, so :P**

 **Review and let me know if you have any suggestions.**


	9. Fire the Whiskey

**A/N- Relatively short chapter but it's pretty interesting. Haven't proof read it. So don't mind the mistakes. Let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Woo!"

The Gryffindor common room was abuzz with frenzied dancing and hopping about. It was a little past eleven and everyone below fourth year had been sent off to their dorms by the Prefects.

Tori had just returned from her patrol and was surprised to be dragged into the common room by the twins. They had identically wicked grins on their faces and she looked at them slightly warily.

"A little birdie told us- "

"- that you were part of the reason we managed that spectacular win today."

"Yeah. Apparently, our dear Oliver had a little help strategizing last night."

"And word has it, that he got it from our very own Head Girl."

"Sly minx, aren't you McCaul?"

"A closet Quidditch whizz. Who would've thought?"

They kept alternating and Tori found herself in the midst of a very happy and extremely buzzed group of Gryffindors.

"To our secret strategist!"

"And spectacular Head Girl!"

"Tori McCaul!"

She was handed a red cup by Fred and saw that everyone around her also had the same thing in their hands.

"Tori! Tori! Tori!"

She rolled her eyes and chugged the liquid expecting some refreshing butterbeer. The strong stinging sensation in her throat told her otherwise. She coughed slightly and glared at the twins.

"That was spiked!"

"Never!" said Fred.

"100% Firewhiskey, we'd never tamper with that!" added George with mock horror.

Tori groaned and smacked them on the backs of their heads. Honestly, such troublemakers.

…

Alex took a single shot of Firewhiskey and grimaced as it coursed down her throat. She loved the feeling afterwards and she felt like she deserved it today. It had been a terrible month of assignments and grueling classes. She hadn't had the chance to even talk to her friends properly because of that. She looked around for Tori, hoping she hadn't left after her signature swig of butterbeer.

She saw the twins handing out rather large and extremely potent shots to Wood and his face becoming redder and happier as the alcohol in his system increased exponentially. What did Tori see in this guy?

Speaking of which, where was she?

Alex surveyed the room for signs of straight, black hair and a restrained reprimanding tone.

Instead she saw something she had only seen once in her life.

Tori was standing on the window seat with a red cup in her right hand and wand in her left, shirt untucked, tie loosened and devilish smirk lining her lips.

 _Fuck. She was drunk._

"Which one of you gits gave Tori Firewhiskey?"

Fred and George recoiled slightly at the threat lining her voice.

"I think one of us might have given her a cup when she came in, but she's been drinking it herself ever since."

"Shit. Tori gets unbelievably high on Firewhiskey and you have no idea how she gets when she's high."

"Really now?" said Fred, eyes lighting up.

"Do enlighten us, dear lady," added George with an identical gleam.

"Ugh. I can't even begin to explain. She's only ever gotten piss drunk once. And she- well, she does that," said Alex, pointing towards her best friend.

Tori had conjured some kind of trampoline with cushions on the side and was currently jumping up and down while screaming her lungs out.

A few sixth year boys had gathered around and were sniggering at her. Some of them were loud enough to reach Tori's ear and Alex could swear she saw the smirk widen slightly.

Almost instantaneously the four boys were hanging from their ankles. After a few screams, they landed with a thud on the floor. Before they got a chance to recover, four bottles of butterbeer came whizzing by and the corks popped right in their faces. It was almost easy to predict that they were soaked in the liquid the next moment.

Tori jumped off the trampoline with surprising grace and emptied the cup in her hand.

"Not so loudly next time, you wankers."

A couple of people rushed to the boys and shot disgusted looks at Tori. They helped them up to their feet and tried to clean the butterbeer off.

"Don't bother. There's a Repelling Charm on them. You won't be able to clean those fuckers anytime soon," she finished with a smirk.

Fred and George watched in awe as the Head Girl twirled around the common room, shooting hexes and jinxes without abandon at whomever she pleased. Pretty soon, people were glancing warily around themselves, wondering if Peeves had somehow gotten into the common room.

"So, when she gets high-?"

"-she loses all her inhibitions. But with that, she loses any restriction on her magic. Her nonverbal spells are fucking fantastic and her mouth has absolutely no filter," finished Alex with a sigh. But there was a ghost of a smile on her face. She quite enjoyed seeing this side of Tori. It was hella entertaining.

"Tori's quite something," said Katie in awe.

"She's bloody brilliant!" said Angelina, nodding her head wisely.

"And fucking fit!" whistled Alicia.

"You're also forgetting that she's piss drunk," said Alex with a grin.

"Which makes every bit even more amazing!" said Fred.

"Ruddy amazing Head Girl and we didn't even know it," George sighed and shook his head.

"What's that about not knowing something?"

Everyone turned around on hearing a thick Scottish drawl. Oliver Wood was standing behind them with his hair sticking out at ends and a lopsided grin on his face.

"Oliver! So good to see you!"

"You look fantastic!"

"Spiffing, actually!"

"I feel brilliant! Where's Tori?"

Before anyone could answer, there came a noise from the trampoline and a soft thud next to Oliver.

"Did somebody call? Oliver Fucking Wood. What's with your name?" she said while sending a particularly rowdy fifth year hurtling backwards, " You're like a walking innuendo!" with another flick three seventh years had a carpet pulled from under their feet.

"Is that a fact, McCaul? From what I can gather, you're a walking terror," he grinned at her, his eyes glistening from the haze of alcohol.

"Fucking sloshed wankers. If I weren't Head Girl, they'd be hanging upside down with Snape embroidered on their knickers," a few more flicks and more chaos ensued.

"That's pretty fantastic, McCaul. Your nonverbal spells are spectacular," he said with an impressed look on his face.

"Not bad yourself, Woody. I saw you stop those sixth year girls from spiking Katie's drink. You let everyone underestimate you, you smooth fuck."

He seemed to be caught off-guard by her last comment but quickly recovered. His grin was even more lopsided but his eyes were glinting mischievously.

"What are you going to do about it, McCaul?" he drawled in a challenging way.

"I think," she said, pulling him by his tie and bringing him closer, "we should use our combined skills to outprank those fucking Firewhiskey dealers."

Oliver was blank for a few seconds, his brain struggling to take in her close proximity. Her hair had grown since September and now fell in messy steps around her shoulder. Her black eyes held a slight tinge of brown and she smelt deliciously of Firewhiskey and chocolate.

"Alcohol messed with your hearing? Fucking hell. I thought you knew how to hold your drink. Guess you're another sodding wanker," she said and turned around. He seemed to snap out of his trance and caught her arm, swiveling her around to face him. His smirk was back and he leaned in towards her with gleaming brown eyes.

"Never too sloshed to teach my lovely Beaters a lesson. What do you have in mind, love?"

She grinned and whispered something in his ear. He was about to burst out laughing but she quickly covered his mouth with her right hand and stuck her wand at his neck.

"You fuck this up and innuendos won't be your problem anymore, _Woody_ ," she said in a deathly calm voice.

He gulped and nodded his head. Bloody hell, this woman was a fucking menace with alcohol.

…

"Fred, does something feel off?"

"Some mischief's being managed."

"Without us." They chorused.

They didn't get very far before a chilling wave went up their spines. Shuddering briefly, they glanced around to see if any pranks were taking place without their knowledge.

"Weasleys, fancy a drink? This is the last batch. Managed to nick some for my prized Beaters," Wood said with a huge grin plastered on his face.

They looked at each other but took the cups nonetheless. Chugging it down, they coughed at the strong aftertaste.

"Ugh. Last batches always are the worst."

"Should've asked Alicia to keep some aside for us."

Oliver grinned at them some more and then walked off abruptly.

"What's gotten into Wood?" asked George.

"Reckon he's having some questionable thoughts about our Head Girl."

"They looked pretty cozy together back there."

"Our two beloved tyrants, making love and not war," finished Fred with a sigh.

Angelina and Alicia ran up to them and stopped suddenly.

"Alicia, have we had too much to drink?"

"I can't think of any other reason for this."

The twins looked at their puzzled expressions and decided that this opportunity was too good to miss.

"What's wrong girls? Tired of _chasing_ us around?"

"Yeah. Perhaps you should stop _beating_ about the bush and say it straight."

They both shrieked and pulled out their wands. The twins were almost immediately knocked off their feet by Disarming Spells.

"Oi! What the bloody hell was that for?"

"Since when do you two not understand a joke?"

"Fucking hell! What's going on?"

The four of them turned around and saw Alex with a horrified expression on her face.

"Alex, look at them! I can't understand what's happened!" shrieked Angelina.

"Have you heard their bloody voices?!" added Alicia agitatedly.

"This is bad," murmured Alex to herself.

"Will somebody tell us what the bloody hell is going on?" the twins shouted together.

Alicia fished out a mirror from somewhere and held it in front of their faces.

"What? I don't understand what you lot are shrieking about."

"Yeah. And why the hell did you knock me and Fred over?"

"You can't see it?" asked Angelina incredulously.

"SEE WHAT?"

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. Honestly, these boys deserved it. They shouldn't have given Tori Firewhiskey in the first place.

"Weasleys, you currently look like your older brother, Percy. In fact, you both sound like him as well. And to make matters worse, there's an additional Charm that's been placed on both of you so you can't see any change."

"WHAT?"

Chaos ensued and Alex decided to head back to her dorm. No doubt Tori would be sober in the morning and help the boys change back.

 _Fucking low capacity drinkers._

…

"That was brilliant, McCaul! Did you see their faces?"

Tori leaned against the desk and laughed some more. They had snuck out of the common room after Fred and George had gone berserk and sought refuge in the Transfiguration classroom.

"Where'd you learn those spells? I've never heard of them before?" Oliver asked curiously.

She walked closer to him, the alcohol still buzzing through her system. Leaning into his ear, she placed one hand on his shoulder and whispered, "your mom."

Oliver sat stunned for a minute before bursting into boyish giggles. Tori was insanely funny in the strangest ways and she was currently slumped against the wall, clutching her sides in laughter.

"You're fucking fantastic, Tori."

…

* * *

 **Please review people! I've been updating very regularly but I hardly get any feedback. I'd love to get suggestions and any ideas about improving the story.**

 **Cheers.**


	10. Valentine: Saint or Sinner?

**A/N- Hey! This turned out to be longer than I thought. I don't think I had anything planned for this chapter in** **particular but it went along an interesting direction. Not proof-read so forgive the typos, etc.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

"Valentine's Day."

The groan that followed, one would assume, would be coming from single teenagers cursing their lack of SOs. One would assume wrong then. Most of the seventh years who had been groaning were all in long term relationships or had started dating recently. The groan was simply because NEWTs and St. Valentine didn't go well together.

Breakfast was on the table and people were wolfing it down hungrily. A week after the Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match and most things were back to normal. Which meant that there were a bunch of nasty hexes being thrown about the corridors and classrooms, scarlet and green trying to somehow disadvantage the other.

This was pretty normal before a Gryffindor-Slytherin match but there was still more than two months to go before the match. And Slytherin had to play Hufflepuff once before that. That seemed like a minor technicality at this point though because people were actually building up the final match of the season even before the other matches were over.

The teams had to be extra careful, especially since Harry had gotten his Firebolt back for good. Oliver had made sure that someone from the team was always with him in between classes and he urged everyone to learn new defensive spells.

There had been a few casualties already though they were just inexperienced first years. McGonagall appeared to be aging rapidly as she registered the towering mountain of complaints that were pouring in every day. Snape was predictably nonchalant and dealt with every Slytherin offence in an offhand way but reacted like he had been personally attacked every time it was a Gryffindor in question.

The unfair treatment was also seeping into the classes and students in red and gold ties found themselves being docked points for the most ridiculous reasons.

"Bell, how is one supposed to hear if you don't speak up? Five points from Gryffindor."

"Johnson, unless you manage to tame that wild mane of yours before my class, I will have you in detention. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"Spinnet, waltzing around my class with your shoelace untied and being a potential hazard will not be tolerated. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"Weasley, wipe that ridiculous smirk off your face. Five points from Gryffindor."

"Weasley, you look too much like your brother. Five more points from Gryffindor."

"Wood, if I see you accompany Potter to any more of my classes, you will end up in detention. Five points form Gryffindor."

"Potter, seeing as you seem to be hoarding a vast amount of my students' time, five points from Gryffindor."

Point docking wasn't restricted to the team though.

"Ms. Granger, you appear to be carrying far too many books. I do not need an increase in your insufferably know-it-all attitude. Five points from Gryffindor."

"Weasley, if I see you whispering to Ms. Granger one more time, that will be ten more points on top of the ten I am deducting right now."

"UGH. If I see another Slytherin today, I swear someone's going to land up in the Hospital Wing!" shouted Alicia, gulping down her pumpkin juice.

"Merlin, it's never been this bad before," said Katie worriedly.

"I hope they don't get to Harry. He's already being targeted by Black. We don't need a hoard of Slytherins helping that guy's cause," murmured Angelina, nibbling at her toast.

"Harry? I'm worried about Flint!"

"Yeah. Have you seen Wood? I'm surprised he hasn't been given detention for the rest of the year."

Everyone looked at the twins curiously.

"His temper's been so rocky recently. He's literally jumped at that git every time they've crossed paths."

"The Slytherins play dirty but we're concerned about Flint. So you can imagine what a right state Wood's in."

"But Oliver never does anything rash!"

"He's always nagging about being careful."

"What's gotten into him?"

"Probably threatened to clip his broom or something. How should we know?!"

…

Today was her third week of training with Lupin and Tori hadn't managed to progress much. She was getting frustrated and felt tempted to flop down onto the floor and kick and scream like a three year old. Feeling that, perhaps, Lupin might not appreciate that, she restricted herself to loud huffs and mental images of flogging the entire Slytherin team senseless.

"I think that will be enough for today. I think you need a break. It's a Hogsmeade weekend tomorrow, right? I insist that you go for it. And perhaps even observe the snow. Who knows where inspiration will strike?" said Lupin with a twinkle in his eye.

Tori managed a weak smile and left the class. She was definitely not going to Hogsmeade. She'd stay in her room and practice the spell until she got it right. To hell with everything else.

Back in the Heads' Tower, she sank into the sofa and tucked her feet inside, trying to make herself as miniscule as possible. It didn't take her very long to pick up new things and these lessons with Lupin were greatly annoying her. Why was it so difficult? She'd never had trouble learning something before.

 _This is different. You're trying to change the dynamics of a spell which has been around for Merlin knows how long._

 _Not really. It's still learning something new. I'm good at that stuff._

 _Perhaps you should stop linking self worth with one particular ability of yours._

 _Perhaps you should shut up._

"Vic? Are you talking to yourself?"

She glanced moodily at Adam and sank deeper into the sofa. He took that as an affirmative and went over to the table. After a while, Tori heard him swear very colorfully and glanced up from her cocoon of childish self pity.

"Fucking adrenaline-driven Quidditch Captains."

This didn't sound promising.

"What's up?"

"Just spent the past two hours trying to prevent Wood and Flint from being chucked into detention. I don't get why I try so hard to keep Wood out of trouble. And it was with Snape!"

"What happened?"

"Fucking morons had another tussle regarding Quidditch and Weasley got there before me. Started telling off both of them and Flint got annoyed and chucked a hex at him. Wood really didn't need anything to provoke him but Snape walked by just as Wood hurled himself on Flint. Took me ages to convince him not to strip him of his Captaincy. Had to make him see that if he took away Wood's Captaincy, he'd have to do the same for Flint because they both committed the same offence. Flint probably thinks I'm a blood-traitor now."

"That sucks. Thanks, by the way. For helping out Wood. I don't know what's gotten into him. It's like he needs someone to be around him so that he doesn't maim Flint and shatter our chances at the Cup."

"Hmm. Hanging out with you has made me go soft. Anyway, I have bigger problems to deal with. Overheard Flint planning some kind of ambush on Wood tomorrow. Problem is, it's Valentine's Day and we have a Hogsmeade trip lined up tomorrow. There's no way we can get someone to hang about Wood or Flint and make sure there's no loss of limb."

"Pity."

"Hang on."

Tori didn't like his tone. It spelt trouble and she made to make herself scarce but he was too quick.

"You can keep an eye on Wood tomorrow!"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Why not? As far as I know you don't even have a date for tomorrow, let alone have any grand plans involving someone of the opposite sex. Almost all the Prefects either have dates for tomorrow and they wouldn't be too excited about the prospect of hanging out with Wood tomorrow. You're the only one who can manage it."

"Sorry. I have other things to do."

"Come one, Vic! This is important!"

"No way, Adam. You couldn't have picked a worse day. Not only do I not want to spend my day babysitting Wood, I sure as hell won't be doing it on Valentine's Day."

"Really now?"

His tone had changed slightly and Tori looked at him warily.

"I think you should. Especially after your shenanigans at the Gryffindor victory party last week."

Tori's eyes popped out of her head.

"HOW do you know about that?"

"Other than the fact that you came in at 3 in the morning, swearing like a sailor and wreaking of Firewhiskey? Well, I got quite a few complaints from some very disgruntled boys in your House. Something about the Head Girl going berserk."

Tori frowned. Great, this was just what she needed. Ammunition against her.

"But, I haven't reported you to any of the professors yet because I know this was a one-time thing. And I expect you to have my back if a similar situation arises. However, you can't go off scot free. That was a lot of rule-breaking and very un-Head-Girl-like behavior. So consider this your punishment, Vic. It could've been a lot worse."

"Fine." Tori knew that he was right. She was getting off very lightly.

"Look on the bright side, I managed to get you a date," he said, grinning cheekily.

"Yeah. Best punishment ever," she groaned, stuffing her head into a cushion.

…

"You're going out with Wood?"

"No. I'm keeping an eye on him so that he doesn't get into a fight with Flint. I just figured it would be easier to do that openly and not follow him like some stalker."

"So, a date then?"

"Alex! It's not a date! It's my punishment for whipping about my wand without hesitation."

"If only people got punished for whipping out their dicks without hesitation."

"Yeah. But this sort of punishment wouldn't be ideal."

"So when's he picking you up?"

"Merlin! Alex, stop making this sound like a date!"

"Why're you being so defensive?"

"You know why."

"No. I have absolutely no idea why my best friend has turned into a shirty cow."

Tori sighed and wished she could punch something, preferably Alex.

"It was fine while it was a crush. But it's becoming more than that. And I can see that he starts avoiding me whenever any physical tension creeps up between us. So I've tried to keep our contact to a minimum. I can't help how I feel. But I can help keep the interaction to a minimum so that this doesn't progress any further. However, babysitting him on Valentine's Day will not help my cause."

"When you say that you don't want 'this' to progress any further, are you talking about your side only?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I thought he was attracted to me as well but I'm not so sure anymore. And it's abundantly clear that he doesn't want anything more than casual friendship."

"So, self preservation, yeah?"

"Pretty much."

"Speaking of which, there's your date."

Tori sent a glare towards her best friend and ran off to intercept Wood.

"Oi! Oliver! Wait up!"

He turned around with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Got any plans for today?" she asked casually.

"Not really. I was going to revise some of the plays for the last match but I don't know a quiet enough place to go to."

"Brilliant! I'll help," she said with a bright smile.

"Why…?"

"Why not? I did manage to help you out a great deal last time. Or have you forgotten?"

"Nah. How can I forget? I don't know where we'd be without our eleventh hour strategist," he grinned.

"Great! I know a place where it'll be relatively quiet. You can work on your plays and I'll help out whenever required."

"You're a strange one, McCaul," he said, shaking his head and grinning.

Tori felt a pang of sadness at the use of her last name. Guess only alcohol could make him use a more personal directive.

…

The Hog's Head was definitely a good choice on Valentine's Day. It was practically unoccupied and the few people sitting about were too grumpy to care about over-anxious Quidditch Captains and secretly sulking Head Girls.

They settled down at a corner table which looked extremely seedy. But it didn't really matter as long as Tori got her work done.

"So, Quidditch plays, huh? What've you got, Cap'n?" she asked, grinning at him.

He chortled and sifted through his precious book of plays. They were meticulously drawn and sketched out. Tori was quite amazed at the precision of his writing. He was very talented off the pitch as well.

"Quite something eh?" he asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and took the particular play he had kept aside for her. It took her a while to adjust to his miniscule writing. It was not a very intricate play and she thought she had seen it being used the previous year.

"You used this against Slytherin last year, yeah?"

"Yeah. Didn't work out too well, mind you. Lot of cheats," he grumbled.

"So what are you planning? Basically, you've got a top team. But how're you going to tackle Flint's dirty tricks?"

She could swear she saw his jaw tense at the mention of the Slytherin captain's name.

"Weasleys will be using backbeats throughout. Unless something untoward happens and ruins the play."

"Seems likely to happen. What'll they do then?"

"All out attack."

"Brilliant."

He frowned and took out another piece of paper.

"Chasers will be performing the Flying Circus. Until thinks get particularly rocky. I still haven't figured out how I can keep them form getting too bloodied up."

The Flying Circus was a complex tactic involving the two Chasers weaving around the pitch, passing the Quaffle between them every second, as well as maintaining a crisscrossing trajectory. At the last moment, one of them would fake a pass towards the other and instead throw it to the third Chaser who would be above the highest hoop. It was then up to the third Chaser to get it past the Keeper. Gryffindor were spectacular at it.

"I think I might be able to help there. Did you read about The Serpent and The Snitch? It's a new play that the Irish developed recently."

He shook his head and his eyes lit up with interest.

"It's a man-to-man marking technique. One Chaser has to be The Serpent and maintain an S shaped trajectory throughout. I'd suggest you let Angelina do that, she's the steadiest with the Quaffle. Now, the Chasers who are The Snitch have to distract two other Chasers from the opposing team with short, unpredictable moves. Much like a Snitch. Now you can modify this slightly. Alicia's turns are fantastic. Make her fly about Montague and Warrington and basically block their paths. Use Katie as a decoy. Let her help Alicia for a bit and then as she goes towards the hoop to presumably catch the pass from Angelina, the other two will have shaken off Alicia and will be heading towards her to intercept the Quaffle and possibly cause some bodily harm. Now, Fred and George have to aim their Bludgers at Flint and the Slytherin Beaters, so that they can't interfere with the last bit of the play. Just as Angelina is about to pass to Katie, she needs to use her speed and dive down and take Montague and Warrington with her. Finally, Alicia takes the Quaffle from Angelina and goes for goal."

Oliver looked confused and then uncertain. Tori quickly drew out the play for him and used one of the many spells she had come across during her readings for Lupin's training and made the figures zoom across the paper. Slowly, Oliver understood the play and they spent the next hour or so getting rid of glitches and adding little touches here and there.

By the end of the discussion, they had finished four bottles of butterbeer each. Tori was feeling warm and slightly disoriented. She leaned her head on the table and tried to stop herself from drifting off into a peaceful slumber. She felt someone shake her shoulder lightly and she looked up with tired eyes to see Oliver's concerned face.

"You alright there, love?"

Tori felt her cheeks turn very red even though she had heard him use that word to address a lot of people. It conjured a lot of mental images which involved them being in very compromising positions. She quickly stood up and picked up half a dozen empty bottles and hurried over to deposit them. In her rush to create distance between them, the flimsy hairclip holding her untrimmed hair, came undone. She groaned and tried to remove some of the stray hair from her face so that she could see in front of her.

"Hold on."

She went stiff as a board as she felt his hands gather up her hair and clip it up adequately. He moved in front of her and slowly pushed back the strands of hair on her face, behind her ears and Tori shuddered involuntarily as his fingers made contact with her skin.

His hand lingered on her cheek for a moment longer than necessary and she let out a shaky breath.

"Right, er… Thanks, Oliver."

The walk back to Hogwarts was filled with an awkward silence. Tori wondered how she was going to get a hold of her wayward thoughts and reactions. He would definitely figure something was wrong at this rate.

 _Fuck you, Hormones._

They were passing Honeydukes when Tori thought of getting some chocolate for her midnight hoard. She asked Oliver to wait and went inside a very packed sweets shop.

She had just paid for a few bars of caramel chocolate with sea salt when she heard a load bang outside.

Flint and two other Slytherins had cornered Wood and were aiming their wands at him, while he tried his best to cover himself from all sides.

Anger coursed through her at the unfair scene playing out in front of her. She whipped out her wand and screamed at them.

"Oi! How many times do you lot have to get a warning before you actually understand that attacking a fellow student is against the rules?"

"Oh look, it's our pious Head Girl. Stand aside, McCaul. We don't want to hurt a girl. That is, if you actually are one," said Flint, the ever misogynistic arse.

"Irrespective. _Expelliarmus_!" She shouted and caught the one of the two backing Flint. Oliver used this distraction to start dueling with the other one.

Flint turned on her and started firing some of the most nasty hexes she had ever encountered. Thank Merlin for Lupin's training, otherwise who knew what might have happened to her.

A Slashing Hex caught her right arm and ripped apart the chocolates she had been carrying. A mass of golden brown littered the snow as Flint kept shooting spells at her mercilessly. Tori needed something to slow him down and an idea came to her suddenly.

She aimed her wand at the patch of ground below Flint and muttered, "Aguamenti-" still keeping her wand pointed at that exact spot. As soon as the last bit of water had shot out of her wand, she gave it a corkscrew turn to the right and closed her eyes, "- Glacius!"

Flint felt the ground below him become uncharacteristically slippery and he fumbled about, trying to regain his footing.

Tori took this opportunity to finish him off.

"Expelliarmus! Incarcerous!"

She caught Flint's wand as invisible ropes leapt out of her wand and tied him up. She aimed another Disarming Spell at the person dueling Oliver and nodded her head to tell him that it was over.

"Next time you try and pull something like this, I'll make sure you don't get your wands back," she finished with a hard expression. Her voice was steely and she flicked the wands on the ground, a little away from the owners' reach.

"Oliver, let's go. Oliver?"

The brown haired boy was nowhere to be seen. Tori huffed in frustration and made to turn back towards the village in order to look for him but he came bounding up to her at that moment.

His hair was windswept and his cheeks had red patches from the cold wind that had started blowing.

"Sorry about that. Let's go."

She didn't question him further and they commenced their walk back to the castle.

Nearing the castle grounds, he suddenly grabbed her arm and made her stop in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Here. This is for saving my arse back there. Thanks a lot, Tori," he said with a wary grin.

She looked down and saw two bars of caramel chocolate with sea salt from Honeydukes. She bit her lip and grinned at him, eyes swimming with happiness.

"I'll be glad to do it again if it means I get chocolate," she finished with a wink.

Hearing her light tone, he laughed loudly, a rich sound that rang in Tori's ears and made her heart race.

…

After dinner, Alex caught up with Tori to ask how her day had gone.

"He gave you chocolate?"

"After hearing everything I had to say, _that's_ what you focus on?" Tori said, rolling her eyes.

"Obviously. Your crush gave you chocolate on Valentine's Day."

"Say that a bit louder. I don't think people heard you down in the dungeons!" hissed Tori.

"Whatever. I wish you'd do something about this impasse. He's clearly not going to do anything. I don't much gets through that thick skull of his."

"Hey! I'll have you know that he's really smart. And not just about Quidditch."

"See. Now you're defending him!"

"Yeah. So? I told you, I just have to wait for it to pass. Nothing's going to happen because it isn't mutual!"

"Says the girl who got chocolates from him on Valentine's Day."

Tori groaned and walked off.

 _Fuck you, St. Valentine!_

…

* * *

 **As always, please review and let me know if you have any suggestions of feedback of any kind. I look forward to reading about your thoughts and ideas.**

 **Cheers!**


	11. Reveal Your Secrets

**A/N - Hey guys! Back after a bit! Been busy** **with a few other things. Updates will probably be weekly now because I'll be taking part in the Fantasy Quidditch League *woot woot***

 **This chapter seems v random now that I think about it but it's necessary for the story.**

* * *

Hermione didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. Managing so many classes was proving to be a greater strain than she had imagined. Harry and Ron were being completely hopeless as always but at least they had started talking to her again.

She had spent her entire Christmas studying at home. The New Year hadn't turned out much differently. Late February and she found herself looking at more books than people. One unexpected thing was that she had found someone to talk to while spending her days in the library and it was the last person she would have expected.

"Granger, how on earth are you managing all these classes?"

She looked up from her Arithmancy homework and was unsurprised at seeing a pale blonde head eyeing her suspiciously.

"Like I've said before, Draco, I happen to rather skilled at time management."

He snorted at her reply and sat down at the opposite side of her table. Hermione had grown used to Malfoy's company over the last month or so. He had stopped trying to get a rise out of her ever since she took Tori's advice and stopped taking his words to heart.

"So have you finished the Transfiguration essay?" she asked while scribbling down a few things.

"Yes. But it took more time than usual because McGonagall's being a prick," he scoffed.

"Don't be dramatic. It can't be as bad as Gryffindors facing Snape." She rolled her eyes and put aside her Arithmancy. She pulled out her essay on Werewolves and checked it for any last minute mistakes.

"Granger, that's the fourth time I've seen you reread that particular essay. Merlin knows how many times you've actually gone over it," his drawl brought her out of her thoughts.

"No harm in double checking."

"Is that what you call it?" he snorted, "I call it obsessive compulsiveness."

"Why are you here, Draco? It's not like you wanted to come and chat aimlessly so you might as well spit it out."

He looked a little uncomfortable and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, if you must know, I'm tired of everyone speculating about the Slytherin-Hufflepuff game. It's annoying. And you're the only person I know who doesn't give a rat's arse about the game. So I figured I'd come over and bother you."

"Fantastic idea," she muttered.

"Wasn't it?" he smirked.

Their library encounters would always revolve around academics and Hermione felt almost relieved to have someone to talk to about essays and assignments. Someone who didn't put things away till the last minute. Someone who actually bothered studying. Someone who was a bit of a teacher's pet as well. Someone like Draco Malfoy.

He had a very dry sense of humor and Hermione enjoyed his jokes as long as they weren't racist, sexist or bigoted.

She felt strangely important because he had sought her out as company when he didn't want to hang out with his friends. It was weird. But she couldn't say that she disliked it.

A little later she saw Tori enter the library with a few books in her hands. She hadn't really spoken to her since the train to Hogwarts after Christmas. Recalling their last topic of conversation, he gaze fluttered to her Defense Against The Dark Arts essay once again. Malfoy saw that and rolled his eyes, getting up and leaving with a curt goodbye. He spied Tori on the way out and sneered at her almost out of reflex.

"Hermione, you're in the library again?"

"I have so much homework to finish."

"That's ridiculous. How can a third year have more work than seventh years? How many additionals have you taken up?" she asked curiously.

Hermione turned bright red and started rambling about how she _needed_ to take a few extra classes in order to get a more well rounded idea of magic. Tori saw her discomfort and decided to change the subject.

"Is that your Werewolf essay for Snape?"

"Y-yes. It is. Actually," she paused, as if trying to decide something in her head, "I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Go on."

"Have you noticed anything? About, you know, Lupin?"

"Anything like?"

"It's just… well… The full moon and the times of his absence. Some very strange scar marks and of course, his Boggart."

"His Boggart?"

"It's a full moon."

Tori stopped short. She had given this idea a lot of thought ever since she had spoken to Hermione on the train. But the information regarding the Boggart seemed to solidify the case in favor of the conclusion she had drawn.

"But that would mean…"

"I know," Hermione tried to tame her bushy hair and huffed in exasperation.

"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would Dumbledore not tell anyone?"

"I think you know why, Hermione."

She bit her lip. Of course she knew. If Lupin was indeed a werewolf, he was one of the most shunned people in wizarding society. But it was so hard to conceive the idea of gentle, calm Lupin actually being a ferocious werewolf.

"Listen Hermione, I don't think we should jump to any conclusions. What we think may or may not be true. But that doesn't change who Prof. Lupin is. He's a brilliant professor and a really kind man. He's the best Defense Against The Dark Arts professor I've had and I've never seen someone become so popular with the students so quickly. Even the Slytherins are running out of things to sneer at. Promise me that this won't affect your view of him."

Hermione nodded her head. Tori was right. She had no definite proof and even if her suspicions were true, how did that change anything. Lupin was still Lupin and her admiration for the young professor actually went up a little thinking about how he must be dealing with his situation.

'Need any help with Ancient Runes?"

"I do, actually," Hermione said sheepishly.

…

"Victoria, that was excellent!"

Tori grinned at Lupin tiredly. She had just demonstrated her modified _Aguamenti_ spell a few times and was now munching on a chocolate frog.

"I'm very impressed. And given that you took a little less than a couple of months to modify it, I think we might even start moving onto spell creation theory. But that's up to you. If you want to modify another spell, we can work on that. Moving onto spell creation could take at least 6 months. So think about that and let me know next week. For now, go back and get some rest. You deserve it," he finished with a smile.

Tori couldn't help but notice the fresh scars on his face. Was her theory correct? Her heart sank incredibly thinking about how Lupin might be coping with Lycanthropy. She could hardly imagine it herself.

"Goodnight, Professor. Thank you very much."

…

Sunday morning meant that very few people were in the Dining Hall before 9. Tori was one of the few who woke up to catch the breakfast before it vanished from the plates. She saw Hermione and a couple of fourth years sitting at the Gryffindor table and unsurprisingly, Oliver Wood.

"Morning, Oliver," she said, sitting down beside him.

"Tori! Good morning," he said, slightly startled by her appearance. His hair was disheveled and she could see that he had been biting his lip for a while.

"Quidditch got you worried?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" he asked sheepishly.

"Doesn't it always?"

"That's not true! I have other things on my mind!"

"Kidding. Oliver, jeez. Pick up your sense of humor. I think you dropped it somewhere on the Quidditch pitch," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Right," he grinned and dropped a large biscuit into her glass of milk, effectively splashing her, "I think I've found it."

She glared at him and fished out the biscuit, holding it gingerly and flinging it on his plate of eggs.

"I guess I deserved that."

"Well done! Gold medal for Woody!"

He grinned and attacked his food. Tori grimaced as he shoved in a mouthful of egg along with the soggy biscuit. Oliver ate practically everything. Apparently, he needed to build muscle if he was going to play pro.

"How's practice going?"

He looked at her incredulously for a few seconds.

"What? I know you're dying to talk about it. So go ahead. I don't hate the sport, Oliver."

"Okay. You can't complain later, yeah?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Parkin's Pincer. What the fuck am I going to do about that? I still can't figure out how Angelina, Alicia and Katie can combat that."

Parkin's Pincer involved two Chasers closing in on an opposing Chaser with the third flying directly at them from the other side. It was a very common play used by Slytherin with a lot more shoving and elbowing involved.

"You can try the Double Dip."

"The what?"

"Have you even been following the League this season?"

"I have!"

"Even the Cannons?"

"Maybe," he muttered.

"Ha! Knew it! Okay, so in the first game between the Cannons and Arrows this season, they tried a technique against the Parkin's Pincer. Double Dip is basically when two Chasers fly in a pair and the one holding the Quaffle either drops down or goes up and pairs with the third Chaser according to how the Pincer was attacking. It makes it harder to form a pincer around the Chaser with the Quaffle."

"That's interesting. I think I remember it. But I probably blocked it out because the Cannons were involved."

Tori chuckled and started munching on an apple.

"The Arrows are playing really well this season. I think they're going to win the League."

"They are. But their Keeper isn't too good. The Magpies will trounce them at home and the gap between them and the Falcons will be reduced to less than three points. They'll still need to lose another game by a huge margin to lose the League to the Falcons. My money's on the Harpies to inflict that defeat."

"No way!" he scoffed, "Arrows won't lose two matches by such a huge margin. The Harpies are good but not that good that their Seeker will catch the Snitch before Andrews."

Timothy Andrews was the Seeker of the Appleby Arrows and one of the best in the League.

"You're just saying that because you're a bloody sexist at heart, Oliver. Take my word, Jones will catch the Snitch before Andrews. And the Arrows will lose by more than two hundred."

"Is that a bet?"

"It could be? But what would we bet on anyway?"

"Whoever loses has to answer one question truthfully."

"That's so unbelievably lame, Oliver. How can you have been on the same team as Fred and George for so many years?"

"Any better ideas?"

She shook her head after a while and he grinned. Would she ask him why he had avoided her after their run-in during the Christmas break? Maybe this bet wasn't such a bad idea.

"Next Sunday will be the day of reckoning. I'll meet you by the lake after breakfast, yeah?"

"Alright," she grinned at his dramatic statement.

"Now help me with strategizing."

Tori and Oliver eventually shifted to the library and continued discussing Quidditch tactics and matches for a long time. Slowly, the conversation moved on to academics and Tori was surprised to learn that Oliver had gotten six O's, two E's and one A in his OWLs. He had taken up Ancient Runes and Arithmancy in sixth year but dropped the former because of his exhausting Quidditch schedule.

"Why did you keep Herbology?"

"Because I got an Outstanding," he said, smirking at her.

She whacked his arm with a particularly heavy book and he winced slightly.

"That's what you get for being a git."

"Alright. Sorry. Because I quite like the greenhouses and I couldn't deal with another two years of Kettleburn teaching us."

"You have only 5 NEWTs. I have 7."

"No one asked you to be such an overachiever," he grinned and ruffled her hair.

"Oi! No messing with the hair!"

"Why not?" he leaned towards her with a sly smile on his face. He lunged forward and wrapped one arm around her shoulder while using his other hand to mess up her hair further. Tori squirmed under his grip, enjoying and shuddering the physical contact.

"Geroff!" she shoved him and a stack of books fell from the table with a loud thud.

"Fuck."

"Pince!"

They whispered in unison and scrambled out of the library, coming to a halt only after entering the Gryffindor common room. Tori saw that Oliver's guard was down and quickly took out her wand and tapped his back, muttering a few words.

"Oliver!"

"Just the man we wanted to see!"

"How've you been this fine day?"

"Coming up with some fantastic plays, no doubt!"

"And he's with our Head Strategist!"

"Can't think of anything else they'd be doing."

"Yeah. Quidditch all the way."

"We'll definitely have quite a few new things to try out during practice."

"Speaking of which, when's the next one?"

"Wednesday, I believe."

"You believe correct, my dear Fred."

"See you around, Oliver! Don't do anything we wouldn't!"

"Yeah, Tori's amazing but she's still our Head Girl."

With that, the twins attempted a quick getaway but Oliver was too fast for them.

"Not so fast. The next practice is on Monday. Which is tomorrow. 5 am sharp. Late-comers get fifty suicides each."

They groaned in unison and nodded their heads.

"So close."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Oliver. Just wondering about your latest style statement."

Oliver looked confused and glared at the twins.

"What?"

"Your jumper."

"What about it?"

"Aw, Ollie! We didn't know you were so insecure about relationships. Don't worry, we'll make sure you get a nice girlfriend," said Fred.

"Or boyfriend. We don't judge," chimed in George.

"What the bloody hell are you two on about?"

By this time a large group of Gryffindors had gathered and they were sniggering and pointing at Oliver's back.

"Will somebody tell me what's going on?!"

Harry stepped out of the crowd and spoke softly, trying to fight back a giggle.

"The back of your jumper says 'I'm A Keeper'."

The common room burst into hysteric laughter and Oliver stared dumbfounded at everyone. At first he thought it was the twins but then he caught a glimpse of Tori standing a little away and eyeing him mischievously. She winked and that was all the confirmation he needed.

…

"NO!"

"Fucking hell, Tori! Why're you wailing like a banshee in our dorm? Go snog the Head Boy or something."

"Jeez, Alex. We all know that Greengrass has a girlfriend," said Liz, combing her hair. She was the only one awake when Tori burst in.

"Fine. Go shag Wood then."

"Alex!"

Alex heard the tone of warning in Tori's voice and quickly amended her statement.

"Well, he's the only seventh year without a girlfriend. Unless you fancy younger blokes. Which I'm all for."

She got a pillow to the face for that which she promptly rolled over and sank into.

"What's the matter, Tori?" asked Mary.

"The Harpies lost to the Arrows."

"And you're trying to pierce our eardrums because...?"

"Ugh! Never mind!"

She walked down the stairs and made her way to breakfast. Luckily she didn't have to watch Oliver gloat while eating. What a sight that would have been. She grudgingly walked to the lake and caught a glimpse of his brown hair. She could instinctively tell whether a head of brown hair belonged to him or not. Joy. The great powers of a crush.

"I'm here. Ask your damn question," she mumbled, settling down with a huff.

"Ah! There she is! How was the game, love?" he grinned cheekily.

"Just shut up and ask before I hex you."

"Fine, fine. Okay, so I want to know your exact relationship with Quidditch. All this knowledge can't be just from listening to your dad speak about it."

Tori stiffened. She should have seen this coming. She had let herself go and had discussed Quidditch freely with Oliver. He was bound to ask her something along this line sooner or later. In that moment, she took a drastic decision.

"I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to mention this to anyone else."

"Go on," he nodded, eyes narrowing with curiosity.

"I love Quidditch. I've been playing since I was five."

Oliver's mouth fell open and he was about to protest but Tori stopped him.

"You have to listen to everything before you say anything."

"My dad's pretty obsessed about the game. I've never lied about that. In fact, he was quite frightening with his desire to make me play. He would have gone crazy trying to get me onto the team and seeing me play. I couldn't handle that level of pressure. Especially regarding something I loved and enjoyed so much. So I did what I thought was the best at the age of eleven. I told him that Hogwarts didn't have Quidditch."

"I know it was stupid. But I managed to convince him and I had to keep my interest locked away during term. I play whenever I go back home and the only reason my dad doesn't bug me about it is because he thinks I'm not allowed to play over here."

"I'm sorry I haven't told you about this before. No one knows that I can play. Not even Alex."

Oliver sat silently for a long time. Tori tried to read the expression on his face but he just looked younger and more confused than ever.

"What position do you play?"

"Whatever suits my mood. But usually Seeker."

"You could've tried out after Charlie left."

"I know. I'm sorry about that. But you've got Harry now. So everything worked out fine."

"I suppose," he said uncertainly, "are you really that interested in the sport?"

"What have you gathered from our talks so far?"

He grinned at her and she smiled back. Stupid git.

"Favorite team?"

"Merlin! You had only one question. No more."

"Aw. Come on, Tori. Please!"

"I'm definitely going to regret this," she muttered to herself, " Puddlemere."

"You're yanking my chain."

"I wish."

"That's fantastic! So you'll be supporting me next season," he added with a wink.

"Definitely regretting this," she muttered and threw a handful of leaves at him.

…

* * *

 **Review people! And suggestions would be nice. No one has suggested anything so far. Looking forward to you reactions.**

 **Cheers!**


	12. Of Blackmail & Betrayal

**A/N- Anyone who found the Quidditch revelation weird, don't worry, there's more to come. Hopefully this chapter flows well, I needed to get some things across and I hope nothing seems abrupt or unusual.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Tori and Oliver spent a lot of time together. They would mostly talk about Quidditch and previous matches, tactics, weaknesses and impressive new developments in the sport. So obviously, most of these meetings were private and people would just occasionally see them walking together or leaving the common room side by side. It was soon established that they had become fast friends. The idea of a romance was something that was quickly extinguished because anyone who knew anything about Oliver Wood knew that Quidditch was his first and only love. The Head Girl was more of an enigma. Not many people knew much about her other than the fact that she could dock points indiscriminately if necessary. So other than mild curiosity, the story of Oliver and Tori soon become unimportant, especially with the final looming ahead and rumors of Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang creating a buzz.

Tori, however, always knew that her attraction towards Oliver was growing steadily. She was finding more and more things to like about him. He was no longer an obsessive, single-minded classmate for her. Way beyond physical attraction, Tori had realized that she had developed proper feelings for him. Every little thing about him made her heart swell, stomach pirouette and breath hitch.

"Any progress?"

Tori scowled at Alex and looked up and down the table for any signs of Oliver or people who would no doubt carry on her conversation to him if they heard. There were none.

"Will you stop? I've told you that there's no chance of progress."

"Tori, I don't understand. I can see how you're becoming more and more attached to him everyday. I don't know how thick he is, but I'm definitely not. Are you seriously telling me you're okay with all this bottled up tension?"

"I'm working on it," Tori mumbled.

"Like hell you are. I say you talk to him about it. And don't start with all that gobshite about losing his friendship."

Alex looked at her best friend. She knew Tori wouldn't do any of the things she had just said. She was insanely stubborn in very strange ways. She spotted Liz and Mary walking up to them and swiftly changed the topic.

…

"Victoria, once again, I must impress upon you how advanced this magic is. The fact that you are attempting it is a huge indicator of how far you've come."

Tori nodded her head. She had finally decided on the spell she wanted to create. It had taken her a while but she had eventually pieced together many stray bits in her mind. Then she had gone through many books on Latin origins of spells and tried to think of a proper incantation. It was tough work but she had only gone to Lupin after all the preliminary parts had been completed.

"Alright. Tell me about this spell."

"My grandfather is a Muggle Healer who specializes in illnesses of the mind- a psychiatrist. I've always been interested in his line of work and I've found that magic has disturbingly limited information and research on mental illness. The Unforgivable Curses are perfect examples of how magic can wound and sometimes destroy the mind. So the spell that I'd like to create would be a Charm especially aimed at healing the minds affected by the Imperius Curse. After that, I'd like to move on to other forms of Healing Charms as well."

"That's a very tricky subject you've picked. Admirable, no doubt, but tricky. You need to have an idea of the damage that has been inflicted in order to try and heal it."

"I suppose so. But I don't know where to start."

"I think you should visit Madam Pomfrey over the weekend. Ask her about the effects of the Unforgivable Curses on minds of people, magic and non-magic. After that, speak to Madam Pince. I'm writing notes for you to take to both of them. Gather as much information and knowledge as possible. Also, look up basic brain anatomy and the nervous system. These are things which aren't taught here but you will need that knowledge in order to proceed further. Good luck."

…

"Granger!"

Hermione turned around and saw the blonde haired boy sprinting towards her.

"Trying to avoid more Quidditch talk?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"That's why you sought me out last time. So I thought its for the same reason this time as well."

"Sure." He smirked.

She eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds and sat down on the grass. It was quite early in the morning and most people weren't awake. Which was probably why he had come to talk to her in the first place.

"Quite the spectacle you created during Divination yesterday," he said, lips curling upwards.

Hermione flushed and turned to look at him. She failed to notice the twinkle in his eyes.

"I couldn't keep listening to that batty old witch go on and on about the Inner Eye and 'seeing the beyond'. Besides, Divination's a pretty wooly subject, if you ask me."

"You're just saying that because it's one thing you're absolutely rubbish at."

"I'll have you know that if it was worthwhile, I would have done much better. It's an utter load of rubbish!" she answered hotly.

"Granger, you're so delightfully predictable," he said with a content smile, taking a bite out of his apple.

Hermione looked annoyed and confused but decided that she'd rather not know the inner machinations of Malfoy's mind.

…

"What?!"

Adam flinched at the shrillness of the tone.

"You and Sarah BROKE UP?"

If Adam could read a transcription of their conversation right now, he had an odd feeling that the words 'broke up' would be in capitals. Tori was staring at him with her mouth hanging open and eyebrows scrunched together. By her reaction it would seem as if the Dark Lord had come back to life. But maybe she would have been less astounded and shocked if that had indeed happened.

"Vic, please stop acting like Filch has become Headmaster. It's just a break up. Mine, I might add. And you seem to be much more affected by it than I am."

"Of course I'm affected! Have you seen the two of you together? You looked so happy and comfortable!"

"Yeah. But things change. We didn't part on bad terms. If that's any consolation."

"But…"

"Vic, if you don't drop this now, I swear to Merlin I will go and tell Wood about your graphic sexual fantasies involving him."

"You wouldn't."

"I would. I would love to see that thickheaded idiot's expression when I tell him about how you toss about in your sleep every now and then, moaning, 'Oh, Oliver, keep going! That's right! Oh. Oh! OH! OLIV- "

"Shut up! Fine. No more talking about your relationship. If a word about any of this reaches anybody, I swear, Greengrass, I'll hex your grass green," she growled.

Adam chuckled and nodded his head. Her threats were always laughable but she was very capable of dishing out horrifying punishments. He knew she wouldn't bring up his break up anymore because she of the fact that he had used her one weakness coupled with the fact that she had called him by his last name.

Blackmail had its uses sometimes.

…

"Alex? How come you're so late?"

Tori saw the flushed look on her cheeks as her best friend ran into the Dining Hall for lunch. She sat down and waited to stop panting before shoveling some food into her mouth.

"Sorry. I had some work. Runes stuff. Lost track of time. Did I miss anything?"

"Just Mary gushing about The Weird Sisters," said Liz looking pointedly at the red haired girl.

"Their new album is fantastic!"

"Their new album talks about death and heartbreak."

"Exactly."

Liz rolled her eyes and scooped some vegetables onto her plate. Alex and Tori grinned at each other as Mary began chattering blissfully about the best album ever made.

"I'll see you later, yeah?" Tori said, finishing her pumpkin juice.

"Off to meet Wood?" asked Liz.

"Yup."

"He is so fit," said Mary dreamily.

Tori rolled her eyes and waved to them.

"Still no progress?" Alex whispered to her just as she was leaving and received a dark glare and spoonful of peas in her face in response.

…

"Puddlemere are on a three match winning streak," said Oliver triumphantly.

"Honestly, the way you talk, it's as if, I support some other team."

"Sorry. Force of habit," he said grinning guiltily.

"How's Annabelle?"

"Brilliant. Mum's been teaching her basic gardening so you can guess."

"Dirt and mud? I'm sure she's loving every minute of it. What is with you Woods and fascination with sweaty activities?" Tori teased.

"Oi. Where do you think we got our last names from? By sitting pretty inside prim offices?" he smirked cheekily.

Tori laughed and he joined her after a few seconds of admiring his great attempt at a joke. She loved the sound of his deep voice. For most people, he sounded serious and unaffected but Tori knew the slight changes that injected life into his tone and warmth into her face. There was something oddly calming about him. Although most of his life revolved around Quidditch, his cheeky sense of humor and subtly teasing manner was accentuated by his serious voice and apparent obliviousness to everything else around him. Nothing about him was extravagant or exaggerated and somehow that increased his appeal in Tori's eyes.

She got up and prepared to leave when she felt his hand grip hers.

"Where're you going?" he asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Library. I have work to finish."

"You always have work to finish, Tori. And you're always working. How does that make sense?"

She was acutely aware of his hand holding onto hers. It was soft, calloused and warm. She tried to fight off the goosebumps which were threatening to erupt at any moment.

"7 subjects, Oliver. Plus Head Girl duties. You can do the calculations."

"Fine. I'll come with you then," he said, getting up.

He still hadn't let go of her hand and she just stared at him for a while, as he got up and dusted his robes. It seemed so natural to have their hands intertwined and she felt odd when he let it go to pick up his bag. If only he knew how he affected her.

"Alright, let's go," he said, grinning at her.

"Fine. But I will not help you with the Transfiguration essay. It's due tomorrow and it was given a month ago."

"Yeah. I figured. That's why I finished it two days ago," he winked.

…

The Saturday before the Quidditch final, the Hospital Wing had many visitors. Mostly Gryffindors and Slytherins, with a handful of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as collateral damage. Madam Pomfrey was in a foul mood and Tori thought it best to wait for the final to get over before she went to her for her work.

She hadn't seen much of Hermione in the past few days and smiled, thinking about the younger girl overworking herself. The nagging feeling regarding Lupin was something that she wanted to talk to her about. But she thought it could wait a few days. Hermione surely had a lot of things on her mind at the moment.

Tori could not have been more correct. Hermione was currently running to the Hospital Wing with Ron, her face flushed and hair swishing wildly behind her. He had just told her that Harry had been found, unconscious, by Fred and George, near the dungeons. Madam Pomfrey was tending to him now.

"No more visitors. Mr. Potter needs his rest."

"Please, Madam Pomfrey. What's happened to him?"

"A lot of broken bones. A mild concussion. And some more external injuries. He won't be out of here for another two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?"

"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley, I will not hesitate to throw you out of the Hospital Wing if you shout like that again," she finished grimly, glaring at Fred and George.

The four of them reluctantly left the unconscious Harry in her care and trudged back to the common room.

"Bloody hell."

"Wood's going to have an aneurism."

"Yeah. I don't fancy telling him that Harry won't be able to play next Saturday."

"What exactly happened?" asked Hermione.

Their expressions darkened.

"Slytherin ambush."

"We didn't see exactly what happened but we arrived just in time to see Harry collapse."

"And Malfoy dash away."

Hermione felt her throat choke as she heard what the twins said. No. Malfoy wouldn't sink so low. She had been almost friendly with him for a few months now. He wasn't as bad as all that.

She tried to keep calm but all her control flew out the window when she saw his pointed face, lazily talking to Crabbe and Goyle. She ran up to him, her eyes seething with anger.

"You! Foul, loathsome, evil, little coackroach!" she screamed and smacked him across his face.

…

Tori loved Sunday mornings. She could sleep in if she wanted to. Adam usually left at around 5 because he had training with Snape. Therefore, she had the entire Heads' Tower to herself. She usually couldn't sleep in because of all her work, but this one rare weekend had afforded her with some much wanted free time. She was snuggling into her pillow, blissfully unaware when the door to her room burst open.

She sat upright, bewildered and saw Oliver standing there with a strange expression on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here, Oliver?!"

He quickly crossed the length of her room and sat down next to her on her bed. Tori became suddenly aware of her negligible attire. She was wearing tiny short and a very loose spaghetti top. She quickly gathered up her blanket around her and moved an inch away from him.

"Oliver. Do you mind?"

He seemed to realize their position and shifted slightly for her to reach across and grab a pullover from her trunk. Cheeks slightly red, she adjusted herself away from him and waited for him to speak.

"Harry can't play in the final. We don't have a Seeker. Tori, you have to play for us."

…

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **Suggestions welcome and if you think anything is off about the characters or the plot, please let me know.**

 **Cheers!**


	13. Quidditch & Crazy Go Well Together

**A/N - Short but exciting chapter! Things are heating up finally. How are things going to pan out? Scroll down for more obviously ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

Oliver stared expectantly at the girl in front of him. As soon as he heard that Harry wouldn't be able to play, he thought he was going to pass out. The first thing he thought of was going and talking to Tori and then it had hit him. She could play! It was perfect! All other thoughts abandoned, he had sprinted towards the Heads' Tower at 7 in the morning and told her exactly that without any preamble.

"Oliver."

He raised his eyebrows, wondering why she wasn't saying anything else. He took in her messed up hair and flushed cheeks and slowly it dawned on him that he had burst into her room and woken her up. Her attire seemed to finally strike him and he felt a strange sensation at the pit of his stomach.

"Right, erm," he cleared his throat and looked away, "meet me in the kitchens. We'll have breakfast there and discuss your training."

With that, he left, not waiting for her response.

Tori huffed and fell back into bed. Why was this happening?

…

"What would Mr. Wood and his friend like to eat?"

Tori stifled a snort and looked at the house elf in front of them. He had large, twinkling eyes that resembled tennis balls, pointy ears and confident smile on his face. Dobby was also wearing a pair of very mismatched socks. All in all, extremely adorable.

"Anything you have around. We're just dropping by early because we have some urgent work."

"Say no more, Mr. Wood," said Dobby and scurried off.

Oliver turned to Tori while settling down at one of the tables.

"So, first off, I'll have to see how well you fly. I'm hoping that won't be much of a problem. Then we'll have to practice everyday in order to get you back in shape. I was thinking, around 5 in the morning, before any of the other teams are up and-"

"Oliver, I can't play."

"Don't be ridiculous. A little practice and you'll outfly that smarmy git, Malfoy. As I was saying- "

"No. You don't understand. I'm Head Girl now. I'm not allowed to play."

Oliver's mouth fell open and he stared at her blankly for a few minutes. She felt terrible watching the disappointment slowly cover his features.

"But I can help you out. Mary is a fair flyer. I can help train her along with you so that she'll be ready in time for Saturday's match."

Oliver looked unconvinced.

"It'll work. She just needs some practice, is all."

"McGonagall. I'll go and talk to her about this 'Head Girl not playing' rubbish."

He dashed off once again and Tori sighed in exasperation. She ate the delicious breakfast that Dobby got her and made her way to the common room. She needed to speak to Mary.

…

"I'm sorry, Wood. The Head Girl is debarred from participating in any House activities. It is the rule. And I cannot break it, no matter what the circumstance."

Oliver glanced at his Head of House with a look that bordered on utter betrayal. She had a grim look on her face and her words had an uncomfortable finality about them.

"However, I will talk to the Headmaster once. Though I seriously doubt anything can be done. Try and find a good replacement Seeker for the final, Wood." She finished gravely and patted him on his shoulder.

Oliver stopped himself from cursing out loud and walked out of McGonagall's office instead. There was no way he would be able to find a replacement good enough at this point of time.

…

It was a little after lunch and Oliver found two unlikely people flying out on the pitch. He almost immediately identified Tori's silhouette and the other could only be that friend of hers whom she had mentioned earlier, Martha or something.

He could see what Tori meant when she said that her friend was a fair flyer. She was light and speedy, picking up the little drills that Tori made her go through quite easily. However, Oliver's eyes kept drifting over to the Head Girl. She flew like an expert. Her grip on the broom handle was casual and adept, her turns were performed with pinpoint accuracy and there was an easy confidence about her as she helped her friend, Maggie or was it Mavis, get used to flying after a long absence.

She caught sight of him and waved. They both flew down to meet him and he stood rooted to the spot. Even her landing was lithe and fluid. She was a natural.

"Oliver, this is my friend Mary. She tried out for the team in our second year but didn't make it onto the team because of William Donovan."

He nodded and took in the girl's appearance. She was a lot shorter than Tori and slightly built; the perfect build for a Seeker.

"Hold on," he said, brows furrowing, "Donovan played Chaser for Gryffindor. How could he have beaten her to a spot on the team?"

"Basically, she couldn't try out for Seeker because Charlie was there and the only other position she's comfortable with playing in, is Chaser. That's it, really," said Tori, shrugging her shoulders.

Oliver frowned. He didn't like the idea of changing positions. He felt like it took away from a player's hard work. But he saw the look in Tori's eyes and nodded his head.

"Let me go get my broom. Then we'll do a few more drills. After that, I'll release the Snitch. Let's see how you fare…?"

"Bronson!" said Mary, catching on to what he was asking, a slight tinge gracing her cheeks.

"Right. I'll meet you out here in 5 minutes, Bronson. McCaul, stay back as well."

He left with a frown etched on his forehead and Tori couldn't help rolling her eyes. She glanced at her friend who had a very dreamy expression on her face.

"He's so bloody fit. And what the hell is with his accent? How do you manage to listen to it so much and not collapse with giddiness?"

Tori snorted at the irony of the entire situation. She smacked her friend lightly on the arm and motioned for them to go back up in the air. It had been difficult to convince Mary to come and fly in the first place. She had been utterly confused when Tori let on that she could fly as well. After a long session of ranting about her being a terrible friend, Tori had managed to convince Mary to at least attempt practice as a Seeker. The fact that she'd be spending time with the 'fit' Gryffindor captain was something that tipped the balance of the scales in her favor.

"Bronson, McCaul, you'll be rival team Seekers. After the warm up drills, I'll release the Snitch. Try and catch it before the other person does," Oliver barked, not really looking at either of them.

Tori frowned. She didn't want to take part like this although she couldn't really back out, now after she had told Oliver that she'd help train Mary.

Oliver watched the two perform the drills; Tori, quick and agile, Margot, initially hesitant but catching on pretty fast. He released the Snitch and his mouth was drawn into a grim line.

It took a while but Meredith finally caught the Snitch. Instead of looking pleased, he glared at Tori.

"McCaul, you were holding back. You're here to help train Bronson and boost her ego. Test her speed and reflexes. You aren't doing her any favors by going easy on her."

Tori frowned at him. She hated the tone he used when he was captaining. It irritated her beyond anything but she could see that he had a fair point. She gave him a curt nod and resumed her position. This time, she didn't wait after the Snitch was up in the air.

Oliver narrowed his eyes as he watched her fly. She ducked and rolled, matching the Snitch's movement was precisely. It took her less than half the time it had taken Mandy to catch the little golden ball.

"Alright. I'm going to release one Bludger this time. So it'll be harder to catch the Snitch. Remember, there are no Beaters to save your arse."

Tori could feel irritation swelling inside her but she flew out nonetheless. It was trickier to fly this time. She and Mary were both significantly slower but neither of them got hit by it. She could see Mary struggling to keep up with the Snitch and almost slowed down. But Oliver's words rang in her head and she sped up instead. She dodged the Bludger coming towards her and lunged at the Snitch, catching it near one of the goal hoops.

There were two more rounds, during which Tori caught the Snitch both times. The last one had two Bludgers and one had scraped Mary's ankle.

"Go see Madam Pomfrey about that bruise, Bronson. Practice tomorrow at 5 am. Don't be late."

Mary nodded her and walked off, her entire form sagging from the exhaustion and heat. Tori waited for her to get out of earshot before turning around and glaring at the brown haired boy.

"Why're you being such a prick?"

"I'm doing my job as a captain."

With that he walked away, leaving Tori increasingly frustrated and angry.

…

"Wood, Ms. McCaul, the Headmaster would like to see you both before dinner."

Both of them had just returned from the pitch and were surprised to be greeted by this strange request by their Head of House.

"What's this about, Professor?"

"You'll find out soon enough, Wood."

They entered Dumbledore's office and waited patiently in front of the older wizard.

"Ah, Mr. Wood, Ms. McCaul! So nice to see you both. How was the year been so far?"

They both nodded, not sure what he was getting at.

"Prof. McGonagall informs me that there has been an unfortunate accident regarding Mr. Potter. I understand, there were certain unworthy intentions behind this incident. I have heard about your request, Mr. Wood. As it, stands, the Head Girl is not allowed to take part in House activities. It has been thus for centuries."

Oliver opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"However, seeing as these are rather rare and unprecedented circumstances, I think we might be forgiven to bend the rule slightly."

"Prof., what- "

"Ms. McCaul, Prof. Dumbledore and I have decided that you will be allowed to play against Slytherin, taking into account the circumstances of Potter's injury and the fact that this is the only match you can ever play as Head Girl and in Hogwarts itself. Wood, Madam Pomfrey has told me that Potter should regain consciousness tomorrow. Do go visit him once and tell him the good news."

Oliver had a huge grin plastered on his face as they left the Headmaster's office.

"This is brilliant! I knew McGonagall wouldn't let us down. Not when we're this close to winning the Cup."

"I can't play."

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"My broom. I-it's back at home. I can't fly on a Cleansweeps in the final."

"Not an issue. I'm sure I can coax Harry to lend you his Firebolt. He'd be delighted to contribute to the victory somehow."

"Victory? How can you say that so confidently?"

"Because you're fantastic. I saw you today. You might be better than Harry, actually."

He turned around to grin at her but she had run off in the direction of the girl's dormitories.

"I'm not going to play, Oliver," she shouted after reaching the top of the stairs.

…

"Why the bloody hell not?"

Tori dug her face into a pillow and screamed. She tried to drown out Alex's voice but the girl was relentless.

"Don't give me that shite about your dad not knowing. We both know that he found out during Christmas break in first year. You not playing has nothing to do with him. You were going to try out for Seeker after Weasley left but you backed out. I don't remember you telling me why. And I seriously don't get why you keep your flying a secret. What the fuck is up with that?"

"It's not that! UGH!"

"Then what _is_ it?"

"Oliver Wood!"

"Huh?"

"I do not want to play on the same team as him. That's the whole reason I didn't try out for Seeker in fourth year. He had become Captain."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. I would've hexed him into oblivion if he tried to boss me around like he does with the rest of his team. As much as I like him, there is no way in hell that I'm going to be playing with him. Fucking mental, he is."

"Tori, that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in my life. You're seriously not going to play Gryffindor's most important match because you don't like Wood's attitude as Captain?"

"Yup."

"Merlin! Can you hear yourself? You're making no sense! That's the most pathetic excuse I've ever come across. You're just scared that you'll have to work hard and actually be under the authority of someone you consider your equal at best."

"That's not it!"

"It definitely is! Now lose your fucking ego and start practicing. The match is in 5 days."

Alex shut the door in irritation while Tori screamed into the pillow once more.

 _No fucking way!_

…

* * *

 **SO I thought it was quite funny that Oliver could never remember Mary's name in his head. Just shows how intent he was and making her play as a Seeker, I suppose.**

 **Anyway, please review! As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.**

 **Cheers!**


	14. The Calm Before The Storm

**A/N- A short chapter before the big one :D Expect another update pretty soon!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

"Vic?"

Tori grumbled and poked her head out of her room.

"What?"

"Umm… The entire Gryffindor team is standing outside the Tower."

"So?"

"They're waiting for you."

"WHAT?"

She ran out and saw a bunch of sulky and grimy players, waiting impatiently behind their slightly frenzied Captain.

"What the heck are all of you doing here?"

"You didn't turn up for practice, McCaul," said Oliver, his eyes steely and determined.

"I told you before, _Wood_ , I'm not playing. How difficult is it for you to understand?"

"I don't see why not. You can't give me a good enough reason."

"I don't owe you a reason."

The two of them glared at each other while the others exchanged weary glances.

"How long do you reckon they'll be at it?" whispered Angelina.

"Could be weeks," said Fred.

"Or months," added George.

"I'm so hungry," moaned Katie.

"I need to get this sodding clod of earth out of my knickers," hissed Alicia.

"Let's stun them," said Fred.

"Good idea. I'll take Wood, you take Tori," George murmured approvingly.

"And risk getting double practice? Not on your life!" glared Angelina and Alicia.

"You guys slip out. They're too busy to notice. And if they do, I'll cover for you. Maybe practice my Stunning Spell a bit," whispered Adam, keeping his eyes trained on the bickering pair in front of them.

"We owe you one, Greengrass," grinned Fred.

"Let us know if you ever need to skip class," added George.

"Or take care of a professor."

"Or handle Peeves."

"We've got friends."

"On the other side."

They winked and scurried off with the three girls while Adam tried to pick up exactly what they were still arguing about. Figuring that this wouldn't end soon, he went back to his room and changed into school robes, heading down for breakfast while Wood and Tori continued arguing.

…

"How're you feeling, Harry?"

He put on his glasses and moved gingerly to look at the person speaking to him.

"Bit better."

"How long do you think you'll have to be here?"

"A couple of weeks at least. There are a lot of injuries to heal, apparently. Although, I think I'd be more than okay leaving tomorrow."

Hermione glared at him and turned towards Tori.

"He's just saying that because he wants to play in the final so badly. Wood was here earlier and he and Harry basically exchanged a long string of mournful glances before he left for class. "

Tori frowned at the mention of his name but tried to change the topic.

"I hear your Patronus is coming along beautifully, Harry. Well done! That's very advanced magic."

"Tori, you said earlier this year, that you owed me a favor. Do you remember?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I'm going to ask you to play in my place as a favor."

"What?!"

"Please. I already feel horrible because I can't play. It's like I've let them down terribly. Especially Wood. What with the loss against Hufflepuff and now this, I feel like I'm the one who's been preventing him from being able to finally win the Cup. Please, Tori."

"I-"

"I've seen you fly. You're brilliant. And on top of that, Wood thinks you're a perfect replacement. He's really difficult to please and finding a good Seeker is really tough. Please do it."

Tori stood there, chewing her lower lip in despair. Why was this happening to her?

"Tori. Harry's right."

"We've got a good chance of winning the Cup."

"But we can't finish the game without a top class Seeker."

"And from what Wood was saying-"

"-you're fantastic."

"Wood'll owe you so much if you help us win."

"Imagine having that kind of leverage over him."

"You could make him do whatever you wanted."

"Not that you weren't capable of doing that already."

"But additional security never hurt anybody."

"So what do you say?"

"Teammates?"

Tori felt winded by the verbal tornado that the twins had just unleashed on her. She looked at them uncertainly and then glanced at Harry who was hanging onto every word that was being said.

All of this wasn't worth it. Her resolution to stay away from Quidditch wasn't that important. Alex had been right and she was actually feeling guilty for making things so difficult for the Gryffindor team. They were desperate and instead of helping them out, she was being stubborn and inconsiderate. She hated having insight and amazing best friends.

"Sure."

"So you'll play?"

She nodded and Harry's face broke out into a huge grin. Fred and George high fived each other while Hermione looked mildly amused.

"We're off to tell Wood."

"He'll piss his pants in happiness."

"Okay, no. That's not a mental image I needed in my head. I'll go tell him. You two, let the girls know," said Tori, wrinkling her nose.

…

She would not admit it. There was no way in hell she would admit that she had been wrong.

Oliver hadn't said much after she had told him that she would play. He'd just told her to be at the pitch for practice at 5 am.

Gryffindor team practices were grueling but very well structured. Oliver treated the girls and boys on his team in the same way, sparing no one from sparse praise or effusive criticism. Tori realized why the three Chasers were so extraordinarily good. They had never been treated like girls and the twins had never been treated like boys. Oliver saw only Quidditch players who needed to perfect their skills and it was a very solid technique which gave amazing results.

Tori joined the practice on Tuesday and was stiff and exhausted at the end of two hours. The others were regular players and were used to the strenuous drills and exercises. But no one really complained. Beating Slytherin was very much on the cards and they didn't seem to mind the extra work they were having to put in because the ultimate result would be fantastic.

Tori was easily the best flyer on the team. She was fast and deft with turns, picking up the different play quickly. She was also able to grasp each player's individual style and it helped form a working relationship with them.

Oliver was relentless in her training. He would dedicate himself almost entirely to her practice and as annoying as it was, Tori had to admit that she had actually improved in the span of two days. As the amount of things to criticize reduced, Oliver took to repeating the same thing to her whenever he saw her.

"Remember, only catch the Snitch when we are more than 150 point up. Otherwise we win the match but lose the Cup."

He had become irritatingly single-minded again and she had to resist the urge to knock him out cold with one of the Beaters' bats.

The news had spread that Tori was replacing Harry and the Slytherins were furious and insisted that the Gryffindors were being shown favoritism. The corridors had become extremely unsafe for the team and Oliver instructed them to always travel with someone else. Due to the distribution of the team in different years, Fred, George, Angelina and Alicia always walked together while Katie stuck to her dorm mates. This meant that Oliver was constantly with Tori, never leaving her sight and often skipping class in order to make sure that she wasn't attacked.

The match was scheduled for Saturday, the 16th of April and Friday night saw a very tensed Gryffindor common room housing a nervous Quidditch team and their eerily quiet housemates. Even Fred and George kept their jokes to a minimum, preferring to run through tactics with each other. Alicia, Angelina and Katie had gone up to one of their dorms after finding the common room too suffocating to relax in.

Tori dropped by once, after her patrol to see if everyone was okay. Truth be told, she had another agenda in mind and she was hoping that there weren't too many people around. It was quite late and except for the twins and Oliver, she only saw Hermione and a couple of sixth years.

She stood in front of Oliver's bent head and cleared her throat. He looked up but his eyes were quite dazed.

"Go to sleep, Oliver. We can't afford to have you pass out on the pitch tomorrow."

He nodded his head slowly but didn't make any move to get up. Tori sighed and motioned to the twins and drag him off if need be. They grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up. She waved at Hermione and made her way towards the portrait hole. Just before leaving she turned around and threw something at the unsuspecting brunette's head.

His reflexes were spot on as he caught the package deftly and turned towards her with an incredulous look on his face.

"Happy birthday, Oliver," she said and walked through the portrait hole, not giving him a chance to respond.

The twins shared a wicked smirk before heaving Oliver up and dragging him off to the boys dormitories.

Later that night, while thinking about his last Quidditch game at Hogwarts, Oliver opened the blue and gold wrapping on Tori's present. His mouth fell open as he stared at the book in front of him.

 _Decoding Quidditch: A Runic Guide To The Sport_

It was a book that detailed Runic transcriptions of all the collected scripts related to Quidditch. It was vastly informative and unbelievably difficult to find. On top of that, it combined two things that Oliver loved but couldn't pursue together; Ancient Runes and Quidditch.

 _How had she known?_

He put the book away and took out his book of plays. They needed to win the match tomorrow. It was his last chance. At the Cup and perhaps to play Quidditch ever again.

…

* * *

 **She finally caved? WHAT. Yeah. But you knew that. Or did you? :3 Anyway, the next chapter will be a turning point in more ways than one. Let me know what you think about the story so far and whether I've gone OOC somewhere. Any loopholes or discrepancies being pointed out would be super helpful!**

 **Until next time, please review :P**

 **Cheers!**


	15. Between The Lines

**A/N- OMG. The chapter you've all been waiting for. Maybe :P It isn't as long as I thought it would be originally, but it has quite a lot of things happening, so YAY. Also, why does Adrian Pucey play in some matches and not others. If he's a regular, then what about the others. SO CONFUSING. But** **whatevzzzzzz. Have fun!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing :'(**

* * *

Saturday dawned bright and sunny with a hint of breeze and clear skies. It was the perfect weather for Quidditch and the entire school had gathered in the stands for the final game of the year. McGonagall looked stern and uptight while Snape had a permanent sneer etched on his face. Dumbledore seemed unusually happy and frightened a couple of first years by asking them if they had any liquorice bites he could snack on. Lupin looked haggard as usual but his eyes were bright in anticipation of the final while Flitwick was busy discussing the game with Hagrid.

Mary had walked up to them after breakfast, wishing them good luck and waving shyly at Oliver. Alex and Liz had already walked off towards the stands and Mary rushed off after he had nodded at her absentmindedly.

Tori pulled on her Quidditch robes and felt a tight knot in her stomach. She glanced at Oliver once and the weight of expectations became even heavier as she noticed the solemn look on his face. Katie was quite nervous but Angelina and Alicia soon talked her out of it. The twins were infectious bundles of energy and Tori felt loads better after hearing them joke about Flint's troll blood.

Soon they were out on the pitch and Madam Hooch instructed them to play a clean game, looking rather pointedly at Flint. Both captains tried to crush each other's fingers and Madam Hooch finally blew the whistle to start the game.

Angelina took possession of the Quaffle and immediately started flying towards the opposite side of the pitch. Tori saw Flint, Montague and Warrington move in to form the Parkin's Pincer. Suddenly Katie flew forward and paired with Angelina while Tori saw Alicia matching their pace about fifty feet above. The corners of her lips lifted slightly as they executed the Double Dip perfectly, making it to the Slytherin goal posts without any injury and Angelina easily getting the Quaffle past Keeper Bletchley.

This time Slytherin had the Quaffle, Flint hurtling towards Oliver at breakneck speed. George aimed a Bludger at him and he was sent off course. One of the Slytherin Beaters, Derrick, took this as a personal insult and whacked the other Bludger straight at Oliver as Flint got back on course. A foul could not be called because Flint's throw and the second Bludger both reached Oliver at the same time. He dived to his left and caught it but also got hit squarely on his right shoulder. Tori glared at the sickening smirks on the faces of the Slytherin team while Oliver struggled back into position.

The game got dirtier as time went by. Slytherin's weal point was their Keeper but their tactics were spot on as they were doing everything in their power to stop the Gryffindor Chasers from getting anywhere near the hoops. Either there would be a Bludger that would hit them or throw them off course or the opposing Chasers would manhandle the Quaffle away from them.

Most of Gryffindors goals were from penalties as the Slytherin strategy to spare their Keeper resulted in an insane amount of fouls. Oliver was doing a fantastic job and stood strong at his end despite being peppered by Bludgers and dirty tactics. However, the Slytherin Chasers were quite skilled as well. 40 minutes into the match, the scores stood at 50-30 in favor of Gryffindor.

Tori hadn't spotted the Snitch yet and she could barely contain the urge to knock Malfoy off his broom. He had continuously been taunting her about getting on to the team with lewd references to favors she must have given to the blokes on the team in exchange for Harry's position.

"Always knew girls couldn't play Quidditch. I'm sure Wood was pretty pleased to finally get a shag, especially if it meant being able to replace his pathetic excuse for a Seeker. Two birds with one stone."

Tori had had enough. She looked at him directly as a plan started to form in her mind. She had practiced on Harry's Firebolt the last two days and she could handle it pretty well now. If Malfoy was going to be such an utter prat then she would stop at nothing to fuck him over.

She suddenly shifted her gaze behind his left shoulder and zoomed off just as he registered her look. He accelerated on his Nimbus 2001 while she kept an eye on him from the corner of her eye.

She took in a deep breath and started mimicking the movements of a Snitch. This was her specialty and Oliver had gone crazy when he had first seen her fly like that. She whizzed to her left and did and abrupt roll to dip down right. Then zoomed forward before looping up and flying in a generally unpredictable and confusing manner. Malfoy tried his best to tail her but kept pulling up as he missed some maneuver of hers. She could hear the frustrated noises he was making and grinned inwardly. Soon she stopped and flew back to her usual position and went back to surveying the game. Malfoy gave her an incredulous look to which she feigned innocence while Fred chuckled and hit a Bludger towards Montague.

The score was now 80-20 and Tori looked around frantically for the Snitch. Everyone was getting slightly sluggish and she needed to end the game before someone ended up in the Hospital Wing.

A flash of gold suddenly reared its head near the corner of the Slytherin stands. It was a tricky area, quite low and near some very rowdy supporters. Nonetheless, Tori raced off and Malfoy followed after a moment's hesitation. The Snitch was buzzing about around the same area but Tori could feel that it was going to move soon. Just as she was about to reach out for it, she felt a yank on her broom. Completely off balance, she saw the Snitch flit away as Malfoy turned in tis direction. She just managed to stop herself from colliding with the green and silver stands.

Turning her broom in the right direction, she sped off towards the golden ball. Malfoy was close but the Snitch was far from being caught. He was near the middle of the pitch and Tori suddenly had an idea. She accelerated and headed off towards the Gryffindor goal posts and turned just before crossing the goal line. Zooming forward, she raced headfirst at the Snitch with Malfoy flying in from the opposite side. They were on course for a head-on collision and she saw the fear on Malfoy's face. It was now or never. With a burst of speed, she reached forward and grabbed the Snitch, Malfoy's face mere inches from her hand. Almost immediately she flipped 90 degrees and flew up before making a large loop and slowing down.

The game was over. The crowd had erupted while Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins looked like they had been hit by multiple Bludgers at the same time.

Tori flew down and was almost immediately engulfed by a pair of warm and sweaty arms. She recognized his distinct smell and wrapped her hands around him. It felt so beautiful being wrapped in his arms and burying her head into the crook of his neck.

He pulled away slowly and she saw his red eyes, a few tears rolling down his face. His hair was sticking up at odd angles and his breathing was haggard. Her lips parted in anticipation as he slowly leaned towards her. This was the moment she had dreamt of countless times and she felt a little lightheaded as it slowly turned into reality. Her eyes slowly fluttered closed as she waited for the inevitable contact but it never came.

She opened her eyes and saw an odd look on Oliver's face as he pulled away from her embrace. Her chest tightened as she surveyed him, not sure what his expression meant.

She wasn't allowed to dwell on it much longer as the rest of the team swooped in and many bear hugs were exchanged. She laughed and smiled along as numerous Gryffindors chanted along as Oliver lifted the Cup with tears streaming down his face.

Despite all the happiness and enthusiasm, Tori knew that her smile was forced.

…

"This is one hell of a party," remarked Liz as she sipped on a butterbeer cocktail.

"Weasleys have outdone themselves," said Alex, nodding her head as she scanned the Room of Requirement.

"It was a stroke of genius inviting the other Houses as well. Though the Slytherin numbers are quite sparse."

Alex snorted as Liz continued her commentary in a dry, monotonous way. It was too bad she had never taken up Quidditch commentary. She would have been brilliant. Alex could just imagine her commentating on a Gryffindor-Slytherin match.

"And Malfoy shoots _another_ sneer towards Potter. It seems as if the Snitch must be hovering around Potter's nether regions because Malfoy's stare keeps drifting in that direction."

Alex chocked on her drink while Liz shot her a questioning look. She barely got her back her regular breathing when she spotted someone at the other end of the room.

"Be right back."

Liz watched her friend rush off wondering if she had spotted Tori somewhere. She hadn't really seen her after the match, the twins sweeping her away before she could congratulate her. She hadn't seen Mary since arriving at the party and wondered where all her friends had disappeared to. Sean had left a little while ago because he had to prepare for upcoming exams for a position at St. Mungo's as a Healer. He was working very hard and the stress was showing on his face. She had to force him to eat most of the times and that was proving to be very difficult because they were in different Houses. It was a blessing that the Hufflepuff common room was near the kitchens.

She suddenly spotted Tori, tiredly trying to continue a conversation with some enthusiastic Hufflepuff sixth year boys. There was no Firewhiskey tonight so Liz would probably have to intervene in order to save her friend from unwanted company.

"Tori, fancy a drink? I think they've come up with another fancy cocktail. Honestly, these twins should consider opening a wizard bar."

Tori smiled at her gratefully and nodded. She excused herself from the slightly disappointed boys and linked her arm with Liz.

"Thanks for that. I was dying out there. Merlin, I'm so tired. I think I'll leave in a bit. I just need to…"

She trailed off and bit her lip. Not sure what to tell her friend. Or indeed, what she wanted to do. Go and find Oliver? And then what? Ask him what the fuck was going on? And why he had almost kissed her? Or maybe just go with a more safe approach and tease him about bawling his eyes out after winning the Cup.

"Wood's at the balcony, I think. I saw him go out there a while ago."

Tori nodded her head and gave her a small smile.

"Have you seen Alex and Mary?" she asked.

"Alex dashed off for some reason. Some illicit rendezvous, I gather."

Tori bit back a laugh as Liz's eyes twinkled behind her glasses.

"I do not know where Mary is, though. But I distinctly remember her saying something about getting some fresh air."

Tori shrugged as they both headed towards the balcony. It was relatively empty except for one couple snogging each other pretty hard.

As the moonlight shifted, Tori resisted the urge to hurl as she caught the unmistakable faces of Oliver and Mary glued together at the lips.

She was frozen on the spot, her breathing becoming very rapid and Liz took that moment to clear her throat deliberately.

The two of them broke apart in surprise, Mary blushing as she saw her two friends while Oliver looked slightly uncomfortable.

"Sorry to interrupt but I needed Mary for a bit. Come with?" she asked, ushering Mary to follow her.

Mary walked inside, a shy smile on her lips as she looked at Oliver once before talking Liz's hand.

Tori was broken out of her momentary stupor when sharp gust of wind whipped her hair across her face. In that instant she saw red, and not just the crimson jumper that Oliver was wearing. She marched up to him, rage and betrayal seeping through her eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" He was quite calm when he spoke, the slight discomfort gone from his face.

"You know exactly what I mean. What are you doing with Mary?" she spat out.

"In case you didn't see clearly, I was in the middle of snogging her when you two interrupted."

Tori was seething by this point of time. How could he avoid the topic like this? And more importantly, how could she bring it up without completely throwing aside her self-respect?

"I am aware of that. What I'm asking is 'why'."

"I asked her out. She's my girlfriend now. And last time I checked, you are supposed to snog the person you're going out with."

His tone was infuriating her even more and she resisted the urge to hex him.

"Last time I checked, she wasn't your girlfriend. In fact, you couldn't even remember her name correctly," she gritted out.

"Things change."

With those simple words, Tori felt strangely empty. Her anger subsided and left a large pit of vague nothingness.

"You better not toy with her. She's one of my best friends. And I will not hesitate to put you in the Hospital Wing if you hurt her in any way." Her voice was low but it lacked the vigor of before.

He nodded his head and stared at her levelly. Tori felt a brief moment of wistfulness before turning around and leaving the balcony.

She saw Mary and Liz standing near the bar, Mary talking animatedly while Liz listened to every word carefully.

She decided that it was as good a time as any to head back to her room when she saw Alex walk up to her, breathless and excited.

"Fantastic party. We should get the twins something for increasing the level every time."

Tori nodded her head and continued walking towards the door.

"Oi. What's with you? Why're you acting like a shirty cow again?"

"Ask Liz. I'm sure she'll be able to fill you in on the details of what transpired while you had disappeared," Tori said, unnecessarily harsh.

Alex raised an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulder, sensing her friend wanted to be left alone.

Tori snuggled into her bed and tried to fall asleep. But the night was more fitful than those experienced by any of the Slytherins.

She didn't even notice Adam getting in at the early hours of the next day, even though she was hardly asleep.

…

* * *

 **How was THAT for a plot twist? *evil grin***

 **I know the Room of Requirement isn't mentioned until much later, but I figured I could introduce it here because creative license \m/**

 **Any confusion regarding this chapter, feel free to ask. I'm more than ready to answer your questions. Also, I got a comment last time which said that the first Gryffindor match was against Slytherin in my story so it seemed like they were playing twice. I'd like to clarify that. They were originally suppose dot play Slytherin but played Hufflepuff instead. So the last match is against Slytherin.**

 **Anyway, please review!**

 **Cheers.**


	16. Avoiding Issues & Avoidance Issues

**A/N- Another not-very-long chapter. Hope you guys liked the twist in the previous one ;) More to come, I promise.**

 **Disclaimer: Really don't own anything.**

* * *

Tori spent her days after the Quidditch Final in the library. Or when there were too many people there, in her room. She poured over her notes, learning and revising everything she would need for her 7 NEWTs. On top of that, she had been reading extensively on brain anatomy in order to further her spell creation. She had finally gotten Madam Pomfrey to help her out and it looked like it would be a while before she got anywhere near creating something.

She went to the kitchens to eat whenever she felt hungry and barely went anywhere other than her classes. It was safe to say that she was avoiding everybody. Truth be told, she didn't really want to see her friends. Alex knew about her feelings for Oliver, Liz knew something was amiss and Mary, despite not knowing anything, was most intrinsically involved with him. She didn't want pity, lectures or pep talks. She wanted to get this shit out of her mind and focus on more worthwhile things. Tori did what she always did when she was upset or worried- she resigned into herself.

It was a lot simpler avoiding her friends than it would have been a couple of years ago. They didn't have many classes together and she had a room to herself which she could withdraw to whenever she wanted. Plus Head Girl duties were an added bonus. Every morning, she would wake up and cough vigorously because of the lack in vocal chord movement. Every time she spoke, which was rarely, her voice would be hoarse due to the long bouts of silence in between. The shining confidence which had surrounded her at the beginning of the year had been replaced with a dull and dreary solitude.

Lupin had asked her whether she had been keeping well and Tori had marveled at the irony of the situation, given that he looked like an absolute wreck. Her lessons had not progressed much outside her personal reading because looming exams meant that she couldn't spare much time.

One Saturday morning, Tori found that she was alone in the library save for Hermione. The bushy haired witch looked like she was going to collapse from the strain.

"Hermione? Are you alright? You don't look well at all."

"Huh? Oh it's you, Tori. Umm, I'm fine. Just a little busy with final exam preparations."

She tried to flatten her hair but only managed to make it stick up more. Tori took out her wand and gently pushed aside the younger girl's hands.

"Here, let me take care of that," she said while murmuring a useful Hair Damage Charm she had picked up during her research, "you can use this spell yourself next time."

Hermione smiled at her gratefully and shut the book she had been reading.

"Can I tell you something? But you have to promise not to tell anyone else about it."

Tori noted the urgency in her voice and nodded her head.

"I'm really worried about the last exam. Not because of the exam itself but because it's the day of Buckbeak's hearing. And we all know that's all for show. They've already decided to execute him. Harry will want to go and see Hagrid and knowing his recklessness and danger attracting abilities, I'm scared that Black will somehow manage to get to him. On top of that, it's a full moon that night."

Tori paused and tried to digest all this information.

"I heard about the hearing and trial and it's a pity that the Malfoys are involved. As for Harry and Black, I've no doubt your fears are well founded but the chances of everything going wrong on the same day are slim. Not nonexistent but slim."

"Now, the point about it being a full moon is separate. I gather you've found out something to solidify our assumption. However, my advice to you regarding this matter is the same as it was last time. And I don't really see how Lupin falls into the picture at this particular point of time. Term will be over soon and I've no doubt that Dumbledore is taking every precaution, including the Wolfsbane potion, in order to help him."

Hermione bit her lip, not completely convinced.

"I suppose. I just have a terrible feeling about the hearing. Like something horrible is going to happen."

"It is. Buckbeak will be executed. For something extremely minor and undeserving of such punishment."

"That's true," she looked sad but less tensed than before, "I suppose I should get back to my Muggle Studies notes. It's quite taxing."

"Muggle Studies?" Tori asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes. I thought it would be interesting to know the wizarding world's outlook on the Muggle world," she said hurriedly.

"Alright. As long as you don't kill yourself with the workload."

…

Transfiguration after lunch was turning out to be Tori's worst nightmare. It had been a couple of weeks since the final and her continued unresponsive behavior was starting to take a toll on the others. While Alex was mostly very understanding, she had times when she would lose all her emotions and become a very cold and harsh person. Liz wasn't the best at showing sympathy or reducing someone's distress and more often than not, she came off as insensitive. Mary was quite oblivious to things going on and every time she would bring up her relationship, a definite strain would descend on the atmosphere.

Today was one of the days when Alex bore no sympathy or understanding for her friend and was of the general opinion that she was being a 'whiny fuck'. Tori hadn't been able to escape to the kitchens and was stuck having lunch at the Gryffindor table with one friend giving her the cold shoulder while the other only managed to come up with a few tactless statements.

A few minutes before class, they saw Mary walk in with Oliver, her face flushed and a small smile tugging on her lips. Tori felt an insatiable rage course through her but luckily, the pair only stopped to talk to another seventh year about some Herbology notes.

Tori heaved a sigh after they exited the Great Hall and went back to staring at her plate of food.

"You okay?" asked Liz, uncertainly.

"Hmm."

"Such a drama queen. Would you stop acting all self-righteous for once and admit that you feel like shit?"

Tori looked up at Alex's harsh tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied stiffly.

"For fuck's sake! Why can't you be honest for once? You're too much of a coward to admit that you feel so terrible because he chose your less accomplished friend over you."

"Alex!" Liz stared at her incredulously.

"It's true. Someone had to say it. She's clearly-"

"Enough." Tori barely managed to get the words out as she got up and headed out of the hall.

She could hear Liz speaking to Alex rather sternly but couldn't really be bothered by it. She stopped outside the Transfiguration courtyard and took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She heard footsteps near her and hoped it wasn't anyone she knew.

"Oh, Tori! It's you. Fancy that. Oliver was just telling me about the final against Slytherin and how he thought you weren't going to be-"

"No offence, Mary, but I don't really want to know what _Oliver_ had to say. He may be your boyfriend but you should really do us all a favor and stop gushing about him all the time. It gets quite tiresome after a while."

Tori's words were cruel and biting and Mary was taken aback by her friend's strange outburst. But before she could say anything, Tori had stomped away.

…

Tori couldn't concentrate on her work. Nothing was staying in her brain for more than a few minutes and it was frustrating her to no end. Snippets of her lunch conversation with Alex kept coming back to her, interwoven with the gut wrenching feeling of accidently spotting Mary and Oliver snogging a few times. All in all, she was a wreck and when Adam walked into their shared common room, she felt red-hot anger boil inside her.

"Don't you look spectacular? What's got your knickers in a twist, Vic?" he asked with an easy grin on his face.

Before any rational thought could form in her mind, she quickly stepped forward and placed her lips on his. All she registered was his handsome face and unruly blonde hair along with that devilish smirk that had never failed to make people go weak in the knees.

She continued her onslaught on his lips for a while before realizing that he hadn't been responding. In fact, he had gone stiff as cardboard and it was turning out to be a rather uncomfortable process for them both. She hastily pulled away from him and took a deep breath.

"Sorry about that."

"Trouble with Wood?"

Tori's eyes opened wide before she sat down resignedly on the sofa. Who cared how he knew. The whole school had probably thought of many different things that could have transpired between her and Oliver to warrant the current situation.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"You can take it however you want. It doesn't change anything."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really. This is too weird. I don't recall ever feeling so messed up before. I can't believe I one-sidedly snogged you even though I have zero feelings for you. No offence, Adam."

"None taken, Vic. I think you should cut yourself some slack. You're being awfully hard on yourself for feeling very human emotions. Take it easy. You aren't doing yourself any favors by getting so stressed. Don't forget that we have NEWTs in a few weeks time."

She nodded her head and smiled weakly at him. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gently squeeze.

…

Tori sat near the Black Lake as a huge wave of nostalgia hit her. She would be leaving Hogwarts in a month or so and the fact was slowly starting to register in her head. For seven years, she had spent her days here, growing up with her best friends and experiencing some of the most wonderful things a person could hope for. The library, the Quidditch pitch, the common room, her old dorm, the Heads' Tower, Lupin's classroom, McGonagall's office, the brilliant feasts, Christmas festivities and even inter-house rivalry were all part of her store of unforgettable Hogwarts memories. Every person she had met, every friend she had made, every rival she had hexed, it all seemed so distant. She wished she could have the last seven years back. To experience everything again and somehow stop time so that it wouldn't end.

Everything was different now. Alex wasn't talking to her. She could hardly look at Mary without being reminded of Oliver. Every time she thought of him, her first reaction was irrational rage which would subside into crippling self pity and dejection. Somehow her entire life had fallen apart and she couldn't quite pinpoint the exact moment it had happened.

"Tori? Is that you?"

She turned around to see Liz walking up to her slowly.

"I thought you'd be in the library so I came out here to study."

"What? Why?"

"I know that you're trying to cope with things by keeping away from all of us. I didn't want to make you feel any worse than you already are."

The simple way in which she said those words was what triggered the breaking of the dam. Tori felt tears pour down her cheeks as she tugged her knees close to herself and sobbed erratically. Liz put her arms around her uncertainly and Tori leaned into her and felt the long absent warmth of a friend beside her.

After she had stopped crying, Liz gave her her handkerchief and settled down next to her.

"I know you're really upset with Alex and the things she said to you recently. I also know that she doesn't really mean any of it. Something's been bothering her as well lately and she just can't seem to be able to try and clear things up with you. Once you feel better, I think you should go and talk to her. Just tell her that you've been hurt by her behavior and that you miss her."

Tori sniffed and looked into the distance.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks, Liz. I'm really glad you didn't go to the library today."

…

* * *

 **Shoutout to one of my reviewers who saw the Adam-Tori thing coming :P Am I really that predictable? Hopefully, you guys won't be able to predict what's about to come next. Heuheuheu *evil laughter***

 **As always, please review. It means the world. And more.**

 **Cheers!**


	17. Resolve, Ruin, Repeat

**A/N- I'm baaaaaaack. Firstly, thank you to everyone who reviewed last time. It meant a lot *wipes lone tear***

 **Shoutout to** _ **xXMizz Alec VolturiXx**_ **for reviewing each chapter. Much love. Also loved what my new reviewer _ThornNB_ wrote. Pliss don't cry. Much excitement coming up ;)**

 **The next bits will be tricky to write but bear with me. Emotions needed to be dealt with and this beauty of a chapter over here has plenty of drama!**

 **Disclaimer: I own NOTHING.**

* * *

Alex was sitting near the edge of the Astronomy Tower. NEWTs started next week and things were pretty hectic at the moment. Their dorm had been pretty quite because everyone was either revising or trying to get some sleep. Mary was a wreck, going in to panic mode like she did before every exam. Liz was running on autopilot, sleep and food being unnecessary distractions.

"Alex?"

She looked over to the stairs and saw Tori standing there.

"Can I talk to you for a bit?"

She nodded her head and shifted her position slightly.

"I wanted to apologize about acting like a self pitying loner. I was just having trouble dealing with all of this. But you already know that."

"That being said, that day at lunch was horrible for me. I can't tell you how upset I felt after you said all those things. I didn't expect you, out of all people, to say that. You know my weaknesses and it really hurt when you flaunted them so casually in front of others when I was especially vulnerable."

Alex bit her lip guiltily and looked down at her shoes.

"I know. I crossed the line and I shouldn't have said all those stuff. Things have been stressful and I was having a particularly bad day. I know it's not really an excuse but being my best friend, I feel I should tell you that. I'm really sorry for hurting you like that. I can't believe I acted like such a dumbfuck."

Tori couldn't help but smile as Alex looked up at her uncertainly. She grinned and they both knew that their skirmish was now over. Tori quickly moved to her side and looked at her excitedly.

"Do you know how much of a dumbfuck I've been?"

"Shite. What did you do now?"

"I snogged Adam!"

Alex stared at her with wide eyes and then burst into peels of laughter. It took a few minutes for her giggles to subside and Tori had to make sure that she didn't accidently pitch herself over the edge.

"Sorry. That was just so hilarious. What did he do?"

"Didn't respond. Apparently I'm not good enough for his Slytherin arse," she grumbled.

"Aww. Poor Tori getting rejected by two fit blokes in the same month."

Tori gave her a pointed look.

"Too soon?"

They both grinned, knowing the answer.

…

The seventh years had Charms theory for their first exam. Tori had been busy revising in the library but seeing that she had more or less covered everything 17 odd times, she decided to call it a night early.

She was still trying to stay away from Mary because conversation tended to shift to Oliver and she wasn't really up for emotional exhaustion the night before an exam. Walking into the Heads' Tower, she heard noises from Adam's room.

 _Merlin. He's got a girl in there before Charms. This is very strange._

She wondered if it was the mystery girl she suspected Adam was seeing secretly. He had been acting oddly for a while now and his almost guilty face after their awkward kiss had somehow strengthened the thought in her mind. Adam was having a secret affair.

She wasn't ashamed to say that she really enjoyed entering the common room stealthily. She hoped that they wouldn't know she was back and she could catch a glimpse of the girl and then get back at Adam for his glorious blackmail stunt a few weeks back.

Extremely pleased at her wonderful scheme, she waited patiently, hoping that things wouldn't get too steamy. She found it insanely awkward having to deal with couples anyway and she didn't need Adam to find out, otherwise her payback scheme would fail.

After a while, she heard his door creak open and a murmur of voices. She craned her neck to get a glimpse of the girl but could only see Adam's blonde head.

As he stepped aside and kissed her lightly on the lips, Tori caught a glimpse of the girl and dropped her wand in shock.

"Alex?"

"Tori?!"

She looked horrified and Tori felt a familiar rage bubble inside her. Adam's face had gone pale as well. Alex moved towards her but Tori held up her hand.

"Tori, you have to listen to-"

"Just fuck off."

Alex looked on helplessly as her best friend slammed her door shut, voice cold and harsh.

…

The exams kept everyone busy but not as busy as Tori would have liked. She tried to keep her mind focused on just her exams but it was impossible. Somehow or the other, tiny snippets came rolling into her mind and she would feel herself getting worked up.

There was a gap between Potions and Transfiguration which meant that Alex tried to talk to her. What was worse was that Adam was there as well.

"Tori, please listen to me. I know you're upset but at least hear me out."

"Yeah, Vic. Give her a chance. And me as well."

"Why the fuck should I give you a chance?" she glared at Adam. "You share a fucking dorm with me but it didn't occur to you to tell me that you were snogging my best friend?"

"I'm really sorry. I just- "

"How long has this been going on?"

"A couple of months. Look, Vic, I'm rea-"

"You know what? I'm not really even that mad at you, Adam. I've just gotten to know you this year. But I've known _her_ for seven years now. Seven fucking years and she doesn't think it necessary to tell me that she's having this thing with you. Especially after I told you how I snogged him out of frustration!"

"Tori-"

"Merlin, I feel like such an arse! You were actually _laughing_ at me because you knew why Adam hadn't responded to the kiss. I can't believe-"

"Will you just shut up! I came here to apologize and all you've been doing is dumping your pent up shit on me. Guess what, Tori? I'm not your punching bag or wastebasket. You can't go around acting like a rabid sea creature every time your ego is bruised."

"Well you've done a fabulous job of apologizing. Well done, twenty points to Alex."

Tori sneered at her and walked away quickly before anyone could see the tears threatening to burst from the corner of her eyes.

…

The last exam was Defense Against the Dark Arts and Tori walked to the Gryffindor common room grudgingly. She needed to clarify one particular part of the theory behind the Patronus Charm and the only person whom she could muster up the will to ask was Liz.

She hoped Alex wouldn't be around and pushed open the door slightly. Thankfully, just Liz and Mary were sitting on Mary's bed. They appeared to be in the middle of a serious discussion so she cleared her throat loudly and knocked on the door. Since when had she become like this around her friends?

"Oh, hey Tori. How's your prep for the last exam?" asked Liz.

"Actually, that's why I came here. I wanted to clarify a tiny detail about the Patronus Charm. Do you have a minute?" she asked, looking between her and Mary uncertainly.

"Yeah sure. I'll be back in a couple of minutes, Mary."

The confusion was cleared in a matter of minutes and Tori awkwardly shifted from one leg to another.

"Is she alright?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Tori sighed and nodded her head. Perhaps it was time to stop avoiding everything. She couldn't keep running away like this and Mary didn't even know why Tori hadn't been her usual self. Which made it all the more terrible.

They went back into the dorm and found Mary glancing through a few sheets of parchment.

"Hey Mary. You alright?"

Mary glanced up and smiled when she saw Tori's face. Tori felt extremely guilty because she had avoided her for almost the entirety of the last month. She was a horrible friend. Her anger towards Oliver had somehow been converted into avoiding Mary and snapping at her when she brought him up.

"Yeah."

"They broke up last week." Liz said calmly.

"What?!" Tori stared at Liz incredulously.

"Yeah but I'm not really upset. To be honest, we don't have anything in common. I'm not that into Quidditch and that's all he ever talks about. We barely had anything to say to each other after the first week. It was agony having to meet up with him just because he was my boyfriend. I'm not saying he's a bad guy or that I had a bad time but it was all very bland and unexciting. Pity though, he's so fit," Mary finished with a sigh.

Tori felt a small smile form on her lips and hugged her friend tightly. Mary put her arms around her and returned the hug with equal affection.

"I'm sorry, Mary."

"Whatever for?" she asked, genuinely bewildered.

"For being a git. Trust me on this."

A part of her knew that the break up was something that helped ease her way with Mary but the other, larger part, knew that it would have happened irrespective of whether she and Oliver ended up getting married.

There was that slight nagging at the back of her mind; reminding her about the nasty conversation she had had with Alex. They seemed to be going through a rather rocky patch. But the wounds were still fresh and Tori wasn't going to try and resolve the issue while she was still so vulnerable.

…

NEWTs were finally over and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Tori felt lighter after many days, not just because she was done with the toughest part of her school life but because she had resolved most of her issues with her friends. She and Alex were still not talking, both of them mightily pissed off with the either. Liz and Mary had both wisely decided to not intervene and let them sort things out in their own time.

Her last round for the day was after curfew and she dawdled about for a little while, hoping that everyone would take the few extra minutes to get back to their common rooms.

She had just finished patrolling the Astronomy Tower when she saw two figures rush off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

Then it dawned on her.

 _Buckbeak's execution! Oh no! Harry and Hermione are going to get into so much trouble!_

She took out her wand from her robe pocket and ran down the stairs. She crossed the Great Hall and hurried out the entrance, hoping to catch them before anything happened. She now knew what Hermione had tried to explain to her that day in the library. She felt it too; the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. She hadn't seen Ron's flaming red hair and it made her feel slightly unsettled. The three of them never went anywhere without each other. So why now?

Just as she was about to run down towards Hagrid's hut, she heard a voice call out from behind her.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

…

* * *

 **OMG WHAT. Cliffhanger? Is this even allowed? Well, yeah :3**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying how this story is shaping up.**

 **As always, please review. You don't know how happy it makes me.**

 **Cheers!**


	18. Defense Against The Dark Arts

**A/N- So let's see what happens in Chapter #18 ;) I'm not saying anything else now.**

 **Disclaimer: Owning nothing, love.**

* * *

She did not need Oliver, of all people, confronting her right now. He stood near the gates and looked at her in a puzzled manner. Her irritation towards him mounted and she ignored him and kept moving forwards.

"Tori! Hey! Wait! I need to talk to you!"

"Not now, Oliver. I have other things to do."

"Please. Just hear me out."

"No. I don't have time for this." The finality in her tone ringing clearly.

However, he didn't seem to notice it because he caught up to her once again.

"It's past curfew. And you don't have patrol outside the castle. Why can't you just listen to me?"

"Because Harry and Hermione just ran off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. That's right, your Cup winning Seeker's life is in danger and I'm trying to stop them from going any further."

She was satisfied to see the horror dawn on his face. She turned around once again and started sprinting in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Annoyingly enough, she heard footsteps catching up to her and soon Oliver was beside her once again.

"What do you _want_?"

"I'm coming along with you. I don't want Harry to do something stupid."

She considered telling him to bugger off but she had already wasted time arguing with him and finding those two was more important right now.

As they got closer to Hagrid's hut, Tori felt a strange feeling overwhelm her. Something wasn't right. Suddenly she saw the Minister for Magic walking towards them with Dumbledore and someone she could only assume would be the executioner.

This was bad. They could not risk getting caught.

She grabbed Oliver's hand and pulled him into a clump of trees nearby. He opened his mouth in protest but she clamped her hand on his mouth and glared at him until he stopped wriggling. She glanced over his shoulder to check whether the others had left.

Meanwhile, Oliver was acutely aware of her hand on his mouth. He was struggling to not move his lips because if he did, they would brush against her palm. Which, incidentally, smelt of chocolate. Why did she always smell like chocolate?

He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally let him go and moved away. Tori scanned the area to make sure that no one else was around. A little way away, she saw the Whomping Willow stop moving suddenly. It appeared to have frozen completely and she wondered why that was. Could those two be near the tree?

She pushed her hair behind her ears and started walking towards the ferocious tree, talking cautious steps and making sure no one saw her. She could hear Oliver walking somewhere alongside her but she really couldn't be bothered about him.

As they got closer to the Whomping Willow, they could see a man in a black, flowing cloak go inside some sort of passageway near the trunk of the tree.

"Snape!" hissed Oliver, instinctively grabbing her hand.

He had left a large goblet at the base of the tree and Tori went up to examine it. As soon as she saw the contents, her fears were confirmed.

"Any idea what that is?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Wolfsbane potion."

Oliver's eyes widened and Tori bit her lip, wondering why Snape was carrying the potion out here. What exactly was hidden beneath the Whomping Willow?

All of a sudden a large branch came crashing down on the goblet, spilling its contents everywhere and knocking Oliver and Tori off their feet.

The tree had regained its destructive demeanor and that meant trouble for the two of them. They scrambled amongst the roots, trying hard to not get crushed by one of the large, swinging branches. Oliver's Quidditch practices were paying off because he was very fast and Tori thankfully got out of their even though she hadn't been training vigorously for six years.

"That was close. You okay, Tori?"

She nodded her head, panting and sweating profusely.

"Where did those two go?"

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and walked over to a large rock near the clearing. He sat down and began stretching his muscles while Tori rolled her eyes in exasperation. She walked to one of the trees and leaned against it, wanting to be as far away from him as possible. There was a cool breeze blowing and she slowly slumped down to the ground, leaning against the trunk.

Oliver watched her sitting on the grass. Her hair was even longer now and the breeze kept blowing it into her face while she kept pushing it away. There was a small cut on her right cheek from the skirmish with the Whomping Willow and her face glowed in the pale moonlight. The worry had reduced on her face but her eyes looked sad and distant and he wondered if he was perhaps somehow at fault for that. Human nature is curious. When we see someone hurt or angry, our first reaction is to feel guilty, irrespective of whether we might have been responsible in any way. Oliver had no idea what was going on inside Tori's head but he couldn't help the constriction in his chest when he saw the sadness in her eyes.

His thoughts drifted to the day of the Quidditch final. His stomach lurched with guilt as he remembered how he had behaved with her. In hindsight, it looked like he had led her on. He hadn't really meant to do that. The thing with Mary had just happened so suddenly.

 _Yes. But what about before that? What about that moment after she had caught the Snitch? There was no Mary at that time._

Oliver pushed these questions out of his head and looked straight ahead instead. It was a full moon that night and the pale, silvery light cast a beautiful glow on everything it touched.

Suddenly they heard shouts and a very strange animal noise which sounded a lot like-

"A werewolf!"

Tori's heart started pounding against her chest as she tried to figure out which direction the noise was coming from. There was something happening near the Whomping Willow and she started moving towards it when she felt something grab her hand.

"What're you doing?" hissed Oliver.

"What if Harry and Hermione are over there?"

"Did you hear that sound? That was the sound of a werewolf. We need to get back to the castle. Alert the teachers and get help. We can't possibly handle this alone."

"But Oliver, what about those two? What if they get attacked?"

"And what do you plan to do exactly? Dealt with many werewolves in the past, have you? Tori, this is serious. We need to go get help. How the fuck is there a werewolf in the grounds?"

Tori grudgingly admitted that he had a point. Even though she knew that they were dealing with Lupin, he had still turned into a werewolf and that made him extremely dangerous. Especially if the destroyed goblet of Wolfsbane potion was meant for him.

There were two strange wolf-like cries that came from somewhere behind them and Tori and Oliver brandished their wands in agitation. What was going on?

Moving very cautiously, they kept close to the trees, staying within the shadows and flinching at every movement around them.

"Oh my god!"

Oliver looked in the direction Tori was gaping at and his eyes widened in shock. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was currently sitting beside one of the trees and nibbling on a ferret.

"What is he doing here?" whispered Oliver.

Tori shrugged her shoulders and slowly walked towards the majestic creature. As if on cue, Buckbeak suddenly shot up and shrieked angrily. With a flap of his wings, he hurtled down a path leading away from them while the two of them kept staring in shock.

"Strange night." Oliver muttered.

"You can say that again."

"Come one, we need to head back to the castle."

Tori nodded her head and they took a path which worked its way through the forest and away from the chaos of Hippogriffs and werewolf cries. Soon they reached the other end of the forest and they could see the outline of the castle in front of them.

Something felt a little odd. Tori shivered slightly and looked back at the trees they had just crossed. Two yellow eyes stared back at her and she froze in her place. With a loud growl, something jumped out of the shadows and lunged at her, teeth and claws bared. Tori felt a weight on her side pushing her over and she landed on the grass with a thump.

Oliver was on top of her for a second before he scrambled up, wand ready and eyes alight with fear.

In front of him stood the creature they had studied about in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes and by some sort of twisted fate it was their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Oliver shot a hex at the werewolf but it ricocheted off the shield Tori had somehow conjured in front of it.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing? That's a fucking werewolf and it's going to fucking kill us if we don't do something!"

"Impedimenta!" Tori yelled and took Oliver's hand, running back into the forest. The spell would stop Lupin for a while but they didn't have much time.

"Tori! What the hell is going on? What are you doing?"

"Oliver, you have to trust me on this. We can't hurt him."

"Why the bloody hell not?"

"Because that's Lupin!"

"You've gone completely mental! How can that be Lupin?"

"It is! Oliver, Lupin is a werewolf. Hermione and I found out earlier this year. And the potion that Snape left at the base of the Whomping Willow was Wolfsbane for his transformation tonight. But he obviously hasn't had it. Please, you have to trust me on this."

Oliver looked skeptical but nodded his head nonetheless.

"So what are we supposed to do? What if he attacks once more before we reach the castle?"

"We need to slow him down. Keep him away. But not harm him. Remember, he's still out Prof. Lupin."

Suddenly there was a low growl behind them and they whirled around in fright. Lupin was standing there, hunched and glaring, his claws ready to strike.

"Stupefy!"

Tori's spell wasn't good enough and it only succeeded in stalling him for a moment. They took that chance to run as fast as they could.

"We need to hit him with our Stunning spells together. One isn't powerful enough on him. On the count of three, Oliver. One, two, THREE!"

"STUPEFY!"

They turned around and blasted their spells at Lupin who was hit square on his chest. He struggled for a moment before collapsing onto the ground.

"Incarcerous!"

Invisible ropes sprung out off Tori's wand and wrapped themselves around Lupin's hunched figure.

"Let's get out of here."

Oliver nodded and they started running in what they hoped was the right direction. After a while they realized that they had run towards the Whomping Willow and found a flock of Dementors hovering around it.

"Fuck."

Tori felt a familiar, clammy feeling returning to her. Her breath was cold and she could feel the frost in the air. Slowly, a slew of unwanted memories started attacking her. They were jumbled together and she felt the urge to throw up. Beside her, she could see Oliver turning pale. He suddenly collapsed on his knees and looked up with a glassy look in his eyes. The Dementors were slowly floating towards them and she struggled to keep herself from passing out.

"Oliver, get up. We need to fight. Oliver, please!"

She took his left hand and squeezed it until he responded. The glassy look reduced and he got up shakily, his wand pointed in front of him.

"Do you think we can take them?" he asked, softly.

"We don't have much of a choice," she replied gravely.

Remembering the euphoria of the moment when she had caught the Snitch, Tori gripped her wand tightly in one hand and held Oliver's with the other.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

They cast their spells together and sure enough, two corporeal Patronuses erupted from the tips of their wands. A falcon flew out of Tori's while a panther charged from Oliver's.

The Dementors scattered as the two creatures cast a luminous silver shield around them. It was a magnificent sight to behold and they just stood their, holding each other's hands tightly and watching in awe as close to a dozen Dementors were driven off.

Once the spell was over, Tori could feel the energy leave her and Oliver's grip on her hand loosened as well. She could feel him sinking onto the grass below and tried to heave him up. An extraordinary task which no one should ever attempt really.

"Come on, Oliver. We're nearly there. We need to get back to the castle. Just stay with me till then."

He nodded his head but she could see that he was on the verge of collapsing. She gripped his hand tightly once again and pulled on it while running towards the castle with all the energy she had left.

Even though she could see the towers, the castle entrance itself seemed to take ages to reach. By the time they got through the front doors, her vision was beginning to blur. But she kept speaking to the boy next to her to make sure that he wouldn't pass out.

Luckily, they met a very worried McGonagall at the bottom of the stairs who looked horrified to see their state.

"Wood, McCaul, what happened?!"

"Professor, Harry and Hermione are out there with Prof. Lupin. He hasn't taken his potion tonight. The Dementors are out there as well."

"Say no more. Get yourself and Wood to the Hospital Wing immediately."

She nodded and started going up the stairs, hoping that they would make it there without dying on one of the moving staircases.

It looked like she spoke to soon, however, because suddenly everything went black and Tori felt Oliver's hand slip out of hers.

…

* * *

 **OMG**

 **WAT**

 **AHHHHHH**

 **Okay. So please review because the next one is going to be pretty damn interesting :3**

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	19. In The End It Might Just Be Beginning

**A/N- Okay, how was the last chapter? *ducks under a desk* I tried to get the timeline correctly but I might have gotten things mixed up in a few places. This is probably the last chapter at Hogwarts.**

 **Disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

"Prof., Black is innocent! Pettigrew was the spy! He gave my parents away to Voldemort!"

"Harry's right, Prof.! We saw the whole thing in front of our eyes! You have to believe us!"

"I do, Ms. Granger. The question is, will anybody else?"

Tori felt slightly disoriented. Her head was heavy and she struggled to open her eyes. Was she dreaming? The last thing she remembered was trying to get to the Hospital Wing with Oliver and…

She tried to sit up but a bout of dizziness made her slump back. Instead, she tried to listen to what was being said. She recognized Dumbledore's distinct voice and Hermione's shrill pitch. The other person speaking was obviously Harry.

"You know the laws, Ms. Granger. You must not be seen. Three turns should do it."

She heard the doors slam shut and Harry muttering something to Hermione.

"Sorry, Ron. But the thing is that you can't walk."

Curiousity got the better of her and she shifted slightly to get a better view of the three of them. Where had Ron come from?

Hermione and Harry were standing close together while Hermione fiddled with some sort of necklace. Suddenly they disappeared and the doors burst open revealing Harry and Hermione?!

"How'd you do that? One minute you were there," said Ron pointedly shakily at the spot they had disappeared at, " and next minute you're there!"

"Honestly, Ron. How can someone be in two places at once?" asked Harry with a smirk.

"My question exactly."

The three of them whirled around to face Tori, the color draining out of Harry and Hermione's faces.

"T-tori, it's nothing. Just a joke between Ron and Harry."

"I doubt it. That's a Time Turner around your neck, Hermione. How about you tell me what's going on. Why'd you two sneak off after curfew? Why were Lupin and Snape there? What happened to Black? And WHY do you have a Time Turner?"

Hermione gulped and looked between Harry and Ron. The latter looked almost as puzzled as Tori felt while the former shrugged his shoulders uncertainly.

"It's rather a long story."

"I've got time," she said, indicating her bandaged shoulder.

…

Tori woke up much later the next day. She heard the clock strike one and saw the sun filtering in through the windows. For a second, she couldn't remember where she was but then it all came rushing back to her. Everything that Hermione had said, with inputs from Harry and exclamations from Ron, was making her head reel once again. It was something very difficult to grasp. Sirius Black had been framed by Peter Pettigrew who was still very much alive and an ardent supporter of the Dark Lord. On top of that, Black, Lupin, Snape and Pettigrew had all been in school together, which made the situation ten times worse. Tori had squeezed out every little bit of information from the three of them, not wanting to have gaps in her knowledge. After hearing everything, she fell asleep from the exhaustion while Madam Pomfrey clucked about angrily.

She turned to her left and saw that Oliver's bed was empty. Instead, he was sitting by one of the windows and staring out into the sunlight. The bright rays streaked his brown hair golden and the shadows playing about his face accentuated his normally soft features.

She sighed and shook her head, trying to get rid of her wayward thoughts. He heard her move and turned towards her. He had a few cuts and scratches and his palms were both bandaged but other than that, he appeared to be better off than Tori.

"How're you feeling?" He asked, walking up to her hesitantly.

"Better. Looks like I came off worse from our stairway tumble."

"Aye. You sort of fell below me and cushioned my fall," he mumbled while scratching the back of his neck.

"Oh, so this," she pointed at her shoulder, "is your fault?"

He grinned sheepishly and sat down on his own bed. The awkward silence didn't last long because three girls burst into the Hospital Wing, frantically looking for their best friend.

"Tori, are you alright?"

That was Liz.

"Please don't die!"

Slightly dramatic, definitely Mary.

"You dumbfuck. How'd you end up like this?"

And that was certainly Alex.

"Hello, you lot. Nice day?"

The three of them grinned at her and settled around her comfortably. There was an awkward moment when Mary walked by Oliver but Liz handled it, even if it wasn't the most tactfully done.

"Merlin! Your shoulder's completely bandaged. Have you broken it?" Mary asked anxiously.

"No. Just got dislocated."

"What about all these bruises?" Asked Liz.

"From the fall down the staircase."

"And the opulence of cuts and scratches?" Alex lifted her eyebrow and looked at her warily.

"Occupational hazard of being Head Girl."

After a momentary pause, they all burst out laughing, Oliver joining in as well.

"Wood! Are you alive? We don't want to lose you!"

"Yeah, seeing as we don't benefit much from your death now that you're no longer Captain."

"Honestly! Can you two ever be serious?"

"Oi. Stop hitting us, Johnson! We were only joking!"

"Angelina, we're here to see Oliver and Harry. Stop bludgeoning the twins."

"Alicia, if we haven't told you already, you are the nicest girl we know."

"And the prettiest!"

"Not to mention a ruddy good Chaser."

"And brilliant too."

"Really laying it on thick, aren't you two?"

"What's the matter, Katie? Is that the green eyed monster we see?"

"Don't worry. We think you're brilliant as well."

"Ahem."

Oliver cleared his throat. He was extremely amused at how his team had forgotten about his entire existence not minutes after entering the Hospital Wing to visit him.

"Oliver! How are you?"

"You're not too badly injured, are you?"

"Nah. I've had worse injuries." He smiled at his worried Chasers reassuringly.

"You look fantastic."

"Spiffing, really."

Tori snorted as she listened to the twins banter on. They were too bloody entertaining in her opinion.

"Oi. Gred! Forge! If you hadn't noticed, your little brother is lying there with a broken leg. Perhaps go see him as well?"

"We would. But the thing is-"

"- our dear, sweet brother pulls a stunt like this at this time every year."

"You could almost say it's an occupational hazard"

"Of being Harry Potter's best friend."

They grinned as everyone in the Wing burst out laughing.

…

After everyone had left, Alex had stayed behind to talk to Tori. Oliver had fallen asleep after taking his pain killers and the other occupants were pretty much out of it as well.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"I should've told you about Adam. And I shouldn't have provoked you when you were so vulnerable."

"Yeah. But I was unnecessarily harsh. It wasn't that big a deal. You can date whoever you want, Alex. I just felt really bad because I was going through a really horrible few days."

"I know. I gathered things became pretty tough after the Quidditch final. How're you holding up?"

"Better now. I'll tell you about it later."

Tori thought she saw Oliver's sheet move slightly and she didn't want him to hear any part of this conversation.

Alex nodded her head and wrapped her arms around Tori gingerly. She felt her best friend rest her forehead on her shoulder and murmur a 'thanks'.

"I'll see you later."

Alex left the Hospital Wing and Tori soon fell asleep. Unbeknownst to her, Oliver was lying down on the other bed; eyes suddenly awake and heart pounding wildly.

…

Tori entered Lupin's office and found him packing everything up.

"You're leaving."

It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, well, after endangering so many people's lives, I felt it necessary to hand in my resignation."

She saw his gaze linger on the cuts on her face, before glancing away wearily.

"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor we've ever had," she stated quietly.

"Thank you, Victoria. But I doubt most parents would want someone like me teaching their children. And news will spread. Have no doubts about that."

"What about my lessons? And training?"

"Yes. Well, I did speak to Prof. Dumbledore about that and he's quite insistent that you carry on. I don't know exactly how we can do it but I'll contact you some time in August. Be sure to owl your address to him. He'll know how to get it across to me."

"Oh, and Victoria? Go and meet the Headmaster once. He wanted to see you."

Tori nodded her head and walked up to Dumbledore's office. The older wizard sat behind his desk, as if expecting her arrival.

"Ah, Ms. McCaul, it's good to see you. I hope you have recovered from your injuries well?"

She nodded her head and took the seat opposite him.

"I have spoken to Remus about your training and I thought it would be wise to continue it in private. Have you made any plans for yourself post Hogwarts?"

"No, sir. I was banking on spell creation and transformation. But now I don't know how to go forward with it."

"Well, I have sent your application to the Ministry of Magic. Depending on your NEWTs results, they will be offering you a position. You will continue your training with Remus as and when he sees necessary, while maintaining your cover with a job at the Ministry. I wish you good luck, Ms. McCaul. You have a promising future ahead of you."

Tori felt a little annoyed that Dumbledore had sent an application on her behalf but she had long ago given up questioning his eccentric methods. He always seemed to have a good reason for doing anything. And she couldn't help but instinctively trust him. Damn those twinkling, blue eyes.

Now all she had to do was wait.

…

Results were out.

Tori had secured O's in everything other than Astronomy, where she had gotten an E. She was more than pleased with her results and her friends shared similar responses.

Mary and Alex both had 5 NEWTs and had gotten O's in four of them. After cribbing initially, Mary conceded that this was a brilliant performance. Alex admitted that it was 'fucking fantastic'.

Liz had 6 NEWTs and had gotten O's in all of them. She didn't say much but the others knew that she was extremely happy.

Adam had gotten 7 O's and Tori grinned at him as Alex teased him mercilessly. She had heard about bits and pieces of their relationship during the sporadic meetings she had had with Alex. They seemed to get along quite well and there was something easy and refreshing about seeing the two of them together.

Angelina, Alicia and the twins had all passed their OWLs, Angelina topping from Gryffindor. Tori heard from them that Oliver had been called for tryouts at Puddlemere United. They almost never recruited students fresh out of school and with the lousy state of their Keeper, he was probably going to become a regular quite soon.

She bumped into him on the last day at Hogwarts. Her emotions were quite high as she took one last tour around her school. She waved at him slightly as he came up to her.

"Congratulations. I heard about Puddlemere."

He looked a little surprised but nodded his head in thanks.

"Tori?"

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to apologize. About how I reacted after the final."

Tori frowned. Could he possibly be talking about…

"I'm sorry. I didn't know how to respond when you…"

Oh, he was definitely talking about that.

"You didn't know how to respond? Do you seriously expect me to believe that?" Tori's voice was dangerously low.

"I really didn't know. And after you had given me that book for my birthday! I didn't know what to say! I-I was scared!"

"Oh! You were scared! Oh! That solves everything, doesn't it? Ickle Olliekins was _scared_." She spat out the last word, her rage mounting again.

"I really am sorry, Tori. I know I behaved like an absolute wanker and dating Mary was something I should not have done. I-"

"You knew. YOU FUCKING KNEW HOW I FELT AND YOU STILL PULLED THIS STUNT!" She was screaming at him now, tears threatening to burst from her eyes.

"No. It's not like that. I-"

"You know what? I don't want to hear it. You can go fuck yourself."

"Please wait. You have to hear me out."

"I don't _have_ to do anything. If you come another step closer, I swear I will hex you."

He paused for a second but continued walking towards her. Tori's anger flared and her throat felt constricted with emotion.

"Everte Statum!"

A jet of white light shot out of her wand and hurled Oliver several feet backwards, onto the green. He looked stunned and completely out of sorts, giving Tori the perfect opportunity to leave.

What a beautiful end to her school life.

…

* * *

 **Right… Who saw that one coming? WHO?**

 **Alright. Maybe some people did :/**

 **Anyway, this is where the story will be moving away from canon for the majority. Since Tori isn't in school anymore, GoF moments won't really feature in it. My original storytelling test comes here *cries***

 **So please review! I need the support!**

 **Cheers.**


	20. Ireland and Bulgaria,France and Scotland

**A/N- Chapter 20! Woooooooo! Thanks for some smashing reviews, you guys! :* I wanted this chapter to be amaze but it's more of a filler :( But still. Hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

On the train back from Hogwarts, Tori and Alex sat in the Prefects' compartment so that they had some privacy. Adam said he would let them know before the meeting so that Alex could clear out.

"So, tell me everything."

"I don't know what to say. How much do you already know?" asked Tori with a sigh.

"Just that he started dating Mary right after the final and that you hexed him a few hours earlier."

"So, not much but basically everything."

"Go on. It'll be a load off your chest."

"Well, after the match, we almost kissed but then he freaked out and left. The next time I saw him, he was snogging Mary. I was royally pissed but he said that she was his girlfriend now and I couldn't say anything against that, could I?"

"Wanker," muttered Alex.

"I basically avoided him and, by default, Mary as well. Then they broke up and I was able to act normally around Mary. Then the whole incident at the Whomping Willow happened. After that-"

"Wait, why was he there with you, again?"

"He said he wanted to talk to me. Wouldn't leave me alone and followed me into the grounds after that."

"Interesting."

"No. Anyway, then we were at the Hospital Wing, which was basically silence and a ton of awkwardness after which I only met him today. He was walking by and I congratulated him about Puddlemere. Big mistake. Because he started apologizing about how he reacted after the match. Said things like he was scared and didn't know how to respond after the gift I gave him for his birthday. He even had the gall to admit that dating Mary had been a kind of distraction. After that, I lost it and you know the rest."

"Curiouser and curiouser."

Tori looked at her friend flatly.

"I'm just wondering what Wood wanted to talk to you about that night. And why he was scared after you gave him the gift. What was it, by the way?"

"Runic translations of Quidditch."

"I see. Well, it seems like Mr. Wood has some issues to resolve."

"Whatever. I don't care."

"So what're you going to do now?"

"Dunno. I'll talk to my parents first."

"I was talking about Wood but okay."

"What's there to talk about? I'm done with him. I don't have to see his ruddy face ever again. I'll get over whatever this was. No problem."

"If you say so. And what about after you talk to your parents?"

"I'll probably need to move to a more central location. Merlin! I'll probably have to go apartment hunting."

"It's not that bad, Tori. Don't be a drama queen. When will you hear from the Ministry?"

"July, I suppose. They're really busy with the World Cup right now."

"Speaking of which, Adam invited me to watch the final with him and his family. Do you want to come along?"

"Because becoming a third wheel is what I've always wanted," Tori replied sarcastically.

"Come on! Everyone knows you love Quidditch. It isn't a secret anymore. Plus, you cannot leave me with a bunch of pureblood Slytherins," she whispered in horror.

"You're a pureblood as well, Alex," pointed out Tori.

"But I don't come from a long line of slimy Slytherins."

"Point. But what about Adam? I don't think he'd appreciate someone spoiling his alone time with his girlfriend."

"I'm perfectly fine with it. In fact, I'm the one who suggested it. Your friend over here was squirming like a Flobberworm when I asked her to go to the Final with me," said Adam, his bright smile catching them both off guard.

"Oi. Learn how to knock!"

"Always bristly when you're awkward. I get it, I'm just that charming," he grinned while Alex blushed.

"Wow. Just what I love, coupley-ness. Please don't stop on account of my urge to throw up," said Tori, wrinkling her nose.

"Sorry, Vic. So, what do you say? Will you come along with us?"

"I don't see why not. I'll just need to ask my parents once. My dad will be gutted that I won't be going with him."

"Hey, it's not like you're going to avoid him. If your paths cross at the World Cup, it'll be a merry reunion!" Alex said, grinning widely.

"Fine, fine, fine. Now shoo. We need to fix the last patrols before the Weasleys manage to blow up the train," said Tori, lightly pushing her best friend out of the compartment.

…

"Mum, are you working double shifts because of the World Cup?"

The older witch looked at her daughter and nodded wearily.

"Yes. There have been a lot of lapses in security during the set up and a lot of Muggles have gotten into accidents."

"So, wait. Not just Memory Charms then?" asked Tori.

"No. I've been asked to join the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad but I refused."

"Why?"

"I've got a lot on my plate."

Tori felt like her mother wasn't telling her something. Her eyes didn't meet hers and it seemed like she was trying to decide something.

"I don't want you to worry needlessly but…"

"But what?"

"There have been strange incidents. Cases which had only surfaced during the War last time. I don't think it's connected but it's still strange."

"What kind of cases, Mum?"

"People being under the Imperius Curse."

Tori stopped her cup of coffee midway to her lips and looked at her mother. Should she tell her what she was working on with Lupin? Perhaps later.

"So what do you do about these people?"

"We try to restore their memories but not much can be done if there is severe damage. The mind can only be stretched so much."

"And this is what happened the last time the Dark Lord was in power?"

"Yes," her mother said wearily, "but in much greater numbers. However, this is how it had all started."

"Enough of all this. What about your letter from the Ministry? It's the end of July. I thought you would have heard by now."

"Me too," said Tori unhappily, "what if they don't offer me a position? What if I'm not good enough?"

"Nonsense! You've got 6 O's! And- Wait, is that an owl?"

Tori looked at the window to see a handsome brown owl making its way towards them. There was a letter in its beak and she could see that it had the Ministry's seal.

She tore it open quickly and skimmed through its contents. Her mother was waiting anxiously beside her and nudged her impatiently when she didn't say anything.

"I've been offered a position in the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"That's fantastic! You love Quidditch! And with the World Cup coming up this will be brilliant!"

"Y-yes. I need to report on the 30th of August. The World Cup will be over by then."

"What's all the commotion about?"

Tori turned around to see her father taking off his robes and sitting down with a glass of Gillywater.

"Tori's been offered a position at the Department of Magical Games and Sports!"

"Really? That's fantastic!" Her father got up and hugged her tightly.

"Ugh. Dad, can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry about that. So when do you have to report?"

"August 30th."

"After the World Cup? Hmm. You'll probably be working with the British and Irish Leagues. They'll be short staffed now."

"What? Why?"

"The Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year."

"Really? How come I didn't know anything about this?"

"That's because it's top secret."

"So how come you know?"

"Your old man has quite a few connections in the right places," he said with a wink.

Tori rolled her eyes and took refilled her cup with coffee. A thought struck her as she thought of possible things she could be asked to do at the Ministry. If she had to work with the Leagues then…

…

"FUCK!"

"Wow, Tori. I don't think the old man at the other end of the stadium heard you," said Alex, rolling her eyes.

"Why does it have to be the Sports Department? I would gladly work with Transportation even."

"Don't be an idiot. There's no guarantee that you'll be working with him. You might see him more then, let's see, never. But that doesn't make it unbearable."

"It's just… not fair," Tori mumbled grumpily.

"Life's not fair," Alex said with a grin.

"What're we talking about?"

"Tori's woody problem."

Adam almost guffawed but quickly checked himself when he say Tori's murderous expression.

"Oh, come one, Vic. What are the odds of you working with him? Slim to none."

"Considering my luck…"

"Oh stop whining! Fudge's releasing the Snitch!"

The match was a spectacle, to say the least. Tori loved Quidditch but she had never been to a game of this magnitude. Bulgaria and Ireland battled superbly but in the end, the Irish won even though Bulgaria caught the Snitch courtesy their young Seeker, Victor Krum.

Adam, Alex and Tori walked back to their tent, happily singing songs as the rest of Adam's family maintained a good distance. The only person who hadn't been frosty was Adam's youngest sister, Astoria. She was going to start her third year at Hogwarts and had spoken to both Alex and Tori quite a bit.

Suddenly Alex spotted a head of familiar brown hair and her eyes turned to her best friend in panic. Luckily, she hadn't noticed yet. Alex quickly motioned to Adam to divert Wood while she moved Tori away from that area. A familiar face proved to be the perfect opportunity.

"Tori! Meet my childhood friend Danielle!"

Tori felt Alex drag her over to a girl with long, blonde hair and twinkling blue eyes. She saw Alex and immediately enveloped her in a hug. Tori stood there awkwardly until Alex introduced her.

"Dani, this is my best friend Victoria McCaul. Tori, this is Danielle Delacroix. She used to be my neighbor but her family moved to France when she was eight. She went to Beauxbatons."

"Nice to meet you, Victoria," she said and Tori caught hints of a Scottish twang but it wasn't quite like any other accent she had heard.

"So, you live in France?"

"I did. For a large part of my life. I used to come back to Scotland to visit my mum's family. But yeah, most of my time was spent in France. I'm back here now," she finished, looking pointedly at Alex.

"Merlin! That means I've got you as my neighbor again!"

"Not quite. I'm going to be living in London. I've got a flat there. I'm actually looking for someone to share it with me. Any chance you'd be interested, Alex?"

"No. But Tori here was actually looking for a place. Why don't you two live together?"

"That would be great! What do you think?" asked Danielle with a wide grin.

Tori was about to answer when they heard loud shouts and people running. Looking towards the source of noise, she saw that there were masked wizards levitating Muggles in the air. There was something very sinister about the entire scene and soon chaos ensued.

Everyone ran, screaming shrilly while they masked wizards went on a kind of rampage. Tori quickly grasped Alex's hand while they searched for Adam's family. She suddenly saw her father's head in the crowd and ran to him.

"Dad!'

"Tori!" he cried, hugging her tightly.

"What's going on, Mr. McCaul?" asked Alex, worriedly.

"Death Eaters."

Those two words were enough to inflict terror in the two girls' hearts. You Know Who's followers. What were they doing, torturing Muggles in public? What had caused them to come out openly like this? More importantly, weren't all the Death Eaters in Azkaban?

Suddenly, there was a large burst of noise and a greyish green skull formed in the sky. Tori saw Adam run up to them with a terrified expression on his face.

"We have to get out of here."

"Where's the rest of your family?

"Near our Portkey. You have to leave. That was the Dark Mark. I'll go back home and contact you both through the Floo Network."

Alex and Tori nodded before heading off with Tori's father. They reached the Apparation spot and quickly apparated to the McCaul residence. Once they were safe and rested, Alex contacted Adam through the Floo Network to make syre everyone was alright. Tori sat down beside her and gave her a cup of coffee. They felt better now that they knew everyone was safe.

Little did Tori know that this was just the beginning.

…

* * *

 **So… How was it? Please let me know if there are any suggestions or criticism. All feedback is appreciated.**

 **Please review!**

 **Cheers!**


	21. Establishing, etc

**A/N- Hello all! Back with the next chapter. I might take a while to upload the next few because #life. We are moving away from Hogwarts completely but we can never really escape it so don't worry.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The flat was simple. There was a large dining-kitchen area, a cozy sitting room and two bedrooms. There was a small balcony as well and it faced away from the busy London street.

Tori walked around, her smile growing wider with every step she took. She walked up to Danielle and nodded her head.

"I think this is perfect," she said with a friendly smile.

Tori moved in with Danielle about two days later. She hadn't packed a lot of things because she felt like she only needed essentials and she could always go back if she needed something. Plus, Diagon Alley was only a few blocks away.

"So, tomorrow's your first day, right?"

Tori nodded her head while munching on some chips. She and Danielle were sitting on the sofa and chatting.

"And what about you? When does your Healer training begin?"

"Not before September. St. Mungo's will be taking in interns once all the hassle regarding the Dark Mark is dealt with. I suppose you'll be hearing a lot about that at the Ministry," she said while playing with her blonde hair.

"Yeah. I don't doubt it. I wonder how long it will take for the buzz to subside," Tori mused.

"Probably until Harry Potter pulls off some incredible stunt."

Tori guffawed at this and spilled crumbs all over herself.

"Or you know, the Triwizard Tournament is coming up as well. Plenty of scope for drama."

"Yeah. It's going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts."

…

Tori entered the Department of Magical Games and Sports, slightly apprehensive and incredibly stiff. She had never had a very good impression about the Ministry and working here had not been her own choice. She was stuck here because of Dumbledore.

She was supposed to report to the secretary, Emilia Anderson and found her cabin easily enough.

Ms. Anderson was a short witch with straight, waist length, black hair, wearing a Tutshill Tornadoes badge on her robe. She greeted Tori with a smile.

"Ah, you must be Ms. McCaul. I'm Emilia Anderson. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," said Tori, with a polite smile.

"Well, the Ministry reviewed your application and thought it best to place you in this division because we need a few more wands backing us right now. What with the Triwizard Tournament and one of our employees behaving extremely irresponsibly, we thought it best to have you join us here at level 7. You were Head Girl and you helped your House win the Quidditch Cup in your final year. So you possess two things that we require in this department."

Tori nodded her head at intervals and waited for her job description.

"For now, you shall be working with the British and Irish Leagues. We need a complete new roster of all the teams, their players and personnel, as well as an update on their respective stadiums. You will be in charge of 5 teams. After that is done, we will need you to help with the Triwizard Tournament. The details of that will be arranged later."

"When do I start?"

"You can start immediately," she said, waving her wand and conjuring a desk and chair nearby.

"Use that for now. We'll arrange for something better in a few days. Good luck and let me know if you have trouble with anything."

Tori smiled at her and sat down at her desk. Soon, she received a flying memo from somewhere which listed the five teams she would have to cover.

 _Arrows_

 _Bats_

 _Falcons_

 _Harpies_

 _United_

She folded the piece of paper and knocked her head on the desk with a sigh.

Life was cruel.

…

It had taken Tori 4 days to get the information on The Arrows. She had the weekend off and she spent it researching on her original spell.

After consulting Madam Pomfrey's notes and reading through the books Lupin had recommended, Tori had made some observations.

The main part of the brain which was affected by the Imperius Curse was the prefrontal cortex. It was the area of the brain which was related to social behavior, decision-making and personality. There were various diagrams of what the prefrontal cortex looked like and Tori was soon able to get an idea of where exactly it was located.

The longer a person was kept under the Imperius Curse, the greater was the damage inflicted. Sometimes, the damage could be repaired by itself but after significant amounts of time, the prefrontal cortex started to get affected.

Tori now had one part of her research completed. She knew exactly where she was aiming the spell. The next step was to figure out how she would try and repair the damage.

The next week was spent researching on the Ballycastle Bats and once again, the weekend was the only opportunity she got to devote to spell creation.

Her intent was to heal. She had been able to read through some of her grandfather's books related to the Muggle profession of psychiatry. This gave her a better idea of exactly how she would try and heal the prefrontal cortex. She knew a few basic healing spells which she had learnt from her mother. It was now time to find the correct incantation.

She vaguely remembered something that Dumbledore had mentioned once.

 _Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it._

It was amazing how someone could be so profound and still indulge in oddities like her old Headmaster. But she found a great source of comfort in those exact words. Because she knew that he had been talking about hurtful sentiments at that time but it was also related to magical abilities. Nothing he ever said could be taken at face value. If one tried hard enough, one might be able to find a dozen different meanings to a simple string of words muttered by an eccentric old wizard.

Her task for the next weekend was set. She would look up Latin origins of different spells and try and pick up a bit of the language while she was at it.

She put away her notes and books, pulling her blanket over her. Tomorrow, she would rest. She needed energy to tackle the Chudley Canons on Monday, after all.

…

Oliver groaned and scrunched his eyes as the sunlight hit his face. His limbs ached and he felt extremely sleepy at 7 in the morning. Ever since getting recruited by Puddlemere, he had been training intensely. His body clock had adjusted to the training and he would wake up at this time no matter how late he had fallen asleep.

He looked around the flat and grimaced at the sight of two other players from the reserve team, completely knocked out after a night of revelry. Today was a rare day off and Oliver was determined to relax and recuperate before training began again on Monday.

He got dressed and put his wand in his pocket, along with a few Galleons and Sickles. Leaving a note for his roommates, he left the flat and walked to the nearest Apparation point. He'd go to Diagon Alley and buy some stamps and a new quill. He also needed to refill some of the supplies in his Broom Servicing Kit.

Once he finished all his errands, Oliver's stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything that morning.

 _Bugger. None of the shops will be serving anything before lunch. What do I do now?_

There were times when a brilliant idea popped into Oliver's head. Today was one such time. She suddenly remembered an angry letter from his cousin, berating him for not visiting in ages. This would be the perfect opportunity to remedy that. And perhaps, get a spot of breakfast.

Grinning at his ingenuity, Oliver walked towards the building where his cousin lived. The letter specified the flat number and since the wards hadn't been set up yet, he walked straight up to the door of the flat.

After knocking a few times, no one opened the door. Oliver cautiously tried turning the doorknob and to his immense surprise, found that it wasn't unlocked.

He walked in and dropped his purchases on the nearest table, looking around for his cousin.

Instead, he saw himself face to face with Tori McCaul. She was wearing neon green shorts and an oversized, baby pink t shirt. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and her face had the most startled expression on it.

"Tori?"

"What the fuck are _you_ doing here?"

Right on cue, the front door opened and Dani walked in, humming a tune and completely oblivious to the scene unfolding a few feet away from her.

She caught sight of Oliver and her face broke into a wide grin.

"Ollie?"

"Dani?"

"Tori?"

Tori stood stock still, extremely confused about what was going on.

"Dani, do you know him?"

"Of course! This is my cousin, Oliver Wood."

Surely, the universe didn't hate her this much.

"Wait, do you two know each other?" Dani asked curiously.

"Yes," said Tori but didn't continue. Instead she chose to glare at Oliver who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"We went to Hogwarts together, Ellie. Tori and I were in the same House as well," Oliver explained, flinching every time Tori moved, their previous encounter still fresh on his mind.

"Of course! Alex went to Hogwarts as well. And since you two are best friends, it seems obvious that you both went to the same school. What a small world, eh?"

Oliver smiled uncertainly, fully aware of the annoyance radiating from Tori's eyes.

"So, Ollie, you hungry? Tori and I were just about to have breakfast."

"Ravenous," he said with a smile.

Dani laughed and went over to the stove and began preparing the food while Oliver stood awkwardly beside Tori, not knowing what to say or do.

Once Dani was out of earshot, he moved closer to Tori and beckoned her to sit down beside him. Her reluctance was magnificently dramatic.

"Look, Tori. Our last conversation didn't end very well but I wanted to clear things up with you."

She didn't raise her wand and Oliver considered that to be an encouraging sign.

"I really am sorry for how I behaved. It was stupid and immature. I realize that I hurt your feelings and it wasn't my intention to do that."

Tori sighed and slumped against the sofa. Oliver's eyes were earnest and sincere. Two things she valued a lot and currently regretted valuing as well.

"It's fine. Honestly, I think I overreacted last time. I shouldn't have hexed you like that. It was uncalled for. No matter how much of a git you were."

"So...?"

"So, nothing. I'm over all that. I think I got rid of all my anger with that one hex."

"Does this mean we can start over?"

His tone was hopeful and Tori inwardly rolled her eyes. _Needy, entitled fuck._

"Fine."

"Friends?"

"Only until you fuck up again."

"Deal," he said solemnly but his eyes were alight with happiness.

"Oi, if you two are done chatting, breakfast is ready," screamed Dani from the stove.

The meal was quite a pleasant one and Tori found that her anger and feelings of betrayal towards Oliver had subsided. Doubtless, she had given him the benefit of the doubt and decided to give him another chance and rekindle their brief friendship. But somewhere at the back of her mind, she knew she had done it because she missed his company. Her unrequited feelings would eventually disappear altogether and then she would be left with a good friend and fellow Quidditch fanatic. She was strong enough to be able to accept that certain relationships were never meant to happen. She didn't want to lose a friend because of that.

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"Oliver, I need to make a new roster for Puddlemere. When do you think I can drop by? Also, where exactly is your team training?"

"Dorset. Why're you making a roster?" he asked curiously, shoveling a large heap of scrambled egg into his mouth.

"I'm working for the Ministry. At the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"That's brilliant. At least now they'll have someone who knows something solid about the sport."

Tori brushed off the indirect compliment and started eating a piece of fruit.

"What else do you have to do, then?"

"Just this for now. After that, I'll need to help with the Triwizard Tournament."

"Oh, that'll be something. Pity it wasn't held when we were still in school."

"By the way, Ollie, what brought you here suddenly?" Dani asked, breaking into their conversation.

"I, uhm, I was feeling really hungry and none of the shops at Diagon Alley were going to open before lunch."

"I see. I knew it wasn't just the prospect of meeting your only female cousin," she said with a wicked grin.

Oliver had the grace to blush and hurriedly finished his food.

"Maybe you can make this a weekly visit. It'd be a change from your very fit, but very unhygienic teammates."

Oliver smiled at his cousin and nodded his head. It would definitely be a change. A very welcome change, in fact.

He glanced at Tori who raised one eyebrow and then shrugging her shoulders. He took that as a positive response and grinned to himself.

Suddenly, weeklong trainings didn't seem that much of an issue anymore.

…

* * *

 **How was it? *hides***

 **Please review! And let me know if there are things which seem weird or do not add up.**

 **Cheers!**


	22. Meetings, Mysteries & Matches

**A/N- Hellooooooooooo. Back with the next one. I'm trying to keep track of multiple plot lines at this point. bear with me if I mess things up a bit *ducks***

 **So, the time intervals will vary upon who I'm focusing on and which events I choose to detail. But basically, I'm still following a linear narrative.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Tori got her first letter from Lupin in October. She had returned from a dull day at the Ministry and was surprised to find an owl waiting for her.

 _Dear Victoria,_

 _I'm sorry I haven't been in touch earlier. There are strange things going on and I needed to find a secure location before contacting you. I would like to resume your training from next Saturday. Meet me outside the London entrance to Diagon Alley at 3 pm. Send a letter back with this owl as soon as possible._

 _Best,_

 _R.J. Lupin._

"What's that?"

Tori turned around and saw Dani staring at her expectantly.

"Nothing. Just a letter from a friend," she lied, hurriedly.

"From Hogwarts?"

"Yeah. Hogwarts. A friend from Hogwarts."

"I see," she said, unsurely.

"So, how was your day?" Tori asked, eager to change the subject.

"Hectic. I need some food. Are we ordering in tonight?"

"Nope. I'm making something special," replied Tori with a grin.

"Fantastic. I'll be chilling on the sofa in the meantime," Dani said, collapsing onto the grey fabric with a happy sigh.

…

Lupin looked even more haggard than he had been in school. He nodded his head and smiled when he saw her. Once he was sure there wasn't anyone around them, he took her hand, preparing for Side-Along Apparation.

Tori felt a familiar violent surge within her insides as the entire world around her swirled. Her feet landed on solid ground and she looked around to see unfamiliar surroundings.

"A good friend of mine used to live here. Welcome to Godric's Hollow," he said with a sad smile.

"Sir, is this the same place Godric Gryffindor lived in?"

"Yes. In fact, Dumbledore used to live here as well."

"If I remember correctly, Bathilda Bagshot hails from here too."

"Absolutely right. Not a lot of people would remember these details, Victoria."

Tori flushed at Lupin's compliment. They walked over to a house nearby and Lupin opened the door, revealing a simple and cozy living room.

"So, have you made any progress?"

Tori nodded her head and took the glass of Butterbeer that Lupin offered her.

"I know exactly where I'll be aiming the spell. The intent is clear as well. I've studied past records of victims having been under the curse. The only thing left is finding the correct incantation. And practicing it as well."

Lupin looked at her thoughtfully.

"The prefrontal cortex endures the maximum damage. The spell will try to fix that. The spell itself will repair and restore that part of the brain to its original state, as best as possible. Depending on how bad the damage is, the duration of the spell will differ."

"Well done, Victoria. That is quite amazing work. Once you figure out the incantation, we can try practicing it. I'll arrange for a way to perfect the technicalities before you can attempt to cast it on witches and wizards."

After discussing some interesting spell creations, they moved on to the topic of the Triwizard Tournament. Lupin was quite worried because Harry had somehow been selected as a Hogwarts champion along with Cedric Diggory. Tori could see how badly things were affecting him and she rummaged through her bag for a tiny vial.

"Professor, take this potion. My mother worked with a team of Healers to come up with it. It reduces stress and anxiety, helping to regulate sleep patterns and food habits," she said, handing him the powdery blue liquid.

"Thank you," he said, smiling tiredly, "And please call me Remus. I am no longer your professor."

"Right. I should get going. Take care, Remus," Tori said, flushing slightly at the foreign name on her tongue.

"I'll send you an owl before our next session. I trust you'll be able to find your way here yourself next time."

…

Friday's weren't especially hectic at work and Tori yawned while stretching herself at her desk. There was still one hour to go before she could leave for home. There wasn't any work to do and with every passing second, the chances of her dropping off into a deep slumber were increasing.

"Mr. Bagman, she hasn't shown up for work for weeks now. No one has heard anything from her and we have no way of contacting her. I think you should take some action!"

Tori heard Emilia's normally calm voice take on an agitated note.

"Nonsense, Emilia! Everyone knows how scatterbrained Bertha is. She probably got lost while on vacation in Albania. No need to bother about this needlessly. Besides, everyone is occupied with the Triwizard Tournament."

Tori peeked through the door and saw the familiar figure of ex English International Beater, Ludovic Bagman. His blonde hair had started receding and his baby blues eyes looked a little watery.

Suddenly, Emilia looked right into Tori's eyes and made her jump back into her seat.

"Actually, Mr. Bagman, we have a new employee who doesn't have much to do at the moment. Perhaps we could get her to find out what happened to Bertha?"

Ludo Bagman turned to where Emilia was pointing and observed Tori carefully before giving her one of his boyish grins.

"Why not? I don't think we've met. Ms.…?"

"McCaul. Victoria McCaul. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bagman."

"Please, call me Ludo. So, Victoria, would you like to take up this assignment? Though I don't really see what you could do about our careless employee."

"I'm sorry, sir. I don't think I understand what's going on."

"One of the people who worked at our department has gone missing-"

"Oh, honestly, Emilia! You make it sound like she was kidnapped. No, Victoria. Bertha has a habit of getting lost and losing track of time. This time, it's just taking her a longer time to find her way back. But perhaps having someone looking into her whereabouts wouldn't hurt. Would you consider doing that?"

Tori looked at Bagman and then at Emilia. She nodded her head slowly, not realizing how serious the situation was because of two very divergent views on it.

"Brilliant! Emilia, brief her with whatever information she needs. She'll report to me directly. Now, I have to run. I need to be at Hogwarts in a few minutes. Cheers!"

Emilia watched Bagman leave and huffed tiredly. She gave Tori a stack of papers and a photograph.

"This is Bertha Jorkins. An employee at the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Hasn't been heard from in over 5 months. See if you can track her down. I know it seems like a very vague assignment but such a long absence is a definite cause of worry," she finished with a slight frown.

"Sure. I'll start working on it as soon as possible."

…

Oliver's visits had become a Sunday routine. He would come by during breakfast, stay till around 4 and then head back for evening training. He and Dani were quite close, especially since they both visited their maternal grandparents each year. Oliver was very comfortable around her even though she was not a Quidditch fanatic. In fact, Dani didn't know much about the sport. That didn't mean that they didn't have things to talk about. She was, unsurprisingly, a huge fan of Anna and Oliver would spend hours telling them about her various shenanigans and how she seemed to be able to get away with all kinds of mischief because of her adorableness.

Initially, Tori had been quiet during these conversations but by Oliver's third or fourth visit she couldn't stop herself from participating. She loved having someone to talk to obsessively about Quidditch. Plus, she found that Oliver was slowly becoming less single-minded and had started making friends with people on his team.

"What're you two doing next Saturday?"

Tori looked up from her book to see Oliver looking at them keenly. Dani was writing a letter and answered without looking up.

"First practical exam. You'd think it'd stay in that thick head of your after my incessant ranting over the past two weeks."

"Oh, right. Completely forgot about that, Ellie. What about you, Tori?" he asked, glancing at her expectantly.

"Depends on why you're asking."

"I've got tickets for the Tornadoes game versus the Harpies."

"WHAT?"

Tori jumped off the couch and dropped the book from her lap.

"Why didn't you say that earlier?!"

"I'm guessing you're free then?" asked Oliver with a grin.

"Why the fuck wouldn't I be?" said Tori, looking at him incredulously.

"Fantastic. I'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at 3. Don't be late. The game starts at 4."

After Oliver left, Dani looked up from her letter with a smirk.

"So…"

"So?" asked Tori unsurely.

"You and Ollie are going to the game together."

"Yes…"

"A date then?"

"No."

"Why not? Ollie's a great guy. Plus, you two get along really well. At least, when you aren't biting his head off with sarcastic comments."

"I'm not interested in Oliver."

"But how can you say that? Give him a chance."

"No, Dani. I'm not going to give him a chance because I'm not interested. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't bring this up again," Tori said quietly.

Dani caught the odd edge in her voice and decided to let her be.

…

The weather was becoming colder and Oliver wrapped his scarf around his neck. He saw Tori walk through the doors and beckoned her to come over to his table. She was wearing a burgundy sweater and black pants. Her black hair contrasted brilliant with the snowy white cap on her head. He caught his breath for a second.

"Hey. Have you been here long?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"Nah. Just got here myself."

"So, aren't we going to leave for the game?" she asked, looking at him uncertainly.

"Aye. Just waiting for a friend to join us. I had another ticket because Ellie couldn't make it."

"I see. Who's joining us?"

"One of my teammates. Look, that's him. Oi, Westy!"

Tori looked at the young man walking towards them. He was tall like Oliver, with black hair and blue eyes. He looked striking and Tori found her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Tori, this is my friend and fellow Reserve Team member; Andrew West. Andy, this is Victoria McCaul."

Andrew smiled at her and shook her hand lightly.

"I remember. Wood's told me that you two went to Hogwarts together and you live with his cousin right now."

"That's right," said Tori, slightly embarrassed.

"Wood, you sly ass. You never mentioned how pretty Victoria is," he added with a smirk.

Tori felt her cheeks go red. Oliver just stared at his friend for a while before chuckling lightly.

"Come on. We're going to be late."

They Apparated to the site closest to the stadium and took their seats quickly. The Tornadoes were top of the League and their rough plays had caused many teams to back off and play safe. Tori knew that the Harpies wouldn't give them an easy game. It would be one hell of a match.

After a riveting couple of hours, the Harpies pulled off a spectacular win over the Tornadoes. Seeker Marilyn Jones had pulled off a spectacular dive, catching the Snitch before her male counterpart.

Tori had screamed herself hoarse after the Snitch had been caught. It felt incredible to watch an all-women's team beat misogyny and the leading team in one go. Oliver and Andrew were more amused about her reaction and listened with rapt attention as she continued talking about the match while they ate at a nearby café.

"Did you see that save when the Harpies were down by 30? Ryan has to be the best Keeper in the League right now. Jones just needs to strengthen their offence slightly and they could be serious contenders."

"We've had this conversation before, remember? The time you bet that the Arrows would lose to the Harpies; how exactly did that turn out."

Tori scowled and stuck out her tongue at a smirking Oliver.

"She's got a point though. Maybe not this season, but if they do work on their Chasers, we might see the Harpies win after a long time," said Andrew, his eyes twinkling.

Tori suddenly felt herself grow shy. There was something very charming about Andrew's forward attitude. Even though it threw her off slightly, she couldn't help but be flattered.

"Of course I've got a point. All of you need to learn that girls can know as much about Quidditch as guys. Stop being sexist assholes. You don't own obsessing rights," she replied, as unaffectedly as possible.

"We're not being sexist, Tori. Just pointing out logical fallacies and significant stats," said Oliver with a chuckle.

"Sure, whatever you say, _Woody_ ," she put particular emphasis on the last word, knowing that it annoyed him.

"Very funny. Terribly mature, in fact. Why don't you blow some raspberries while you're at it?"

Andrew watched this exchange curiously. There was definitely something strange about their friendship.

…

* * *

 **Eep! New character alert! What is he going to do? Is he good, bad or just damn hot? Who knows. Seriously. I don't know at this point of time either. But I will know sooner than anybody else :3**

 **Let me know what you think. I love reading the reviews! And thanks to all those who are silently following this story!**

 **Please review! Cheers!**


	23. Musings & Meddlings

**A/N- I should be preparing for impending doom *read exams* but inspiration struck. I think part of it was because I finished reading _Fangirl_ by Rainbow Rowell. Hugely relatable. And recommended for all. **

**Shorter chapter but probably more interesting than you think.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Dani had left at the crack of dawn for some extra training. She had left Tori at home alone, leaving her with the responsibility of breakfast and Oliver.

Oliver walked in as usual and found Tori in a pair of red shorts and a black pullover. Tori always wore these kinds of shorts at home. She had a rather large collection of them, from neon green to shocking pink. It was something that Oliver had noticed despite himself. Tori always kept the top half of her body covered at home. No matter how cold it got, she always seemed to be in shorts.

She was humming an unfamiliar tune, taking out things from the fridge. She noticed him sit down and gave him an acknowledging nod.

"Muggle music?" he asked, referring to the tune she was humming.

"Yup," she cracked open a couple of eggs over the frying pan, "Do you want to listen to it?"

Oliver was slightly surprised, but nodded his head. The odd tension and discomfort between them had faded, but Tori was still a closed book. She took part in conversations regularly, but Oliver knew he was not being let in. Despite not knowing her as well as some others, he couldn't help but feel that she was holding back. Something which she hadn't done when they were friends at Hogwarts.

She drizzled some salt and pepper over the eggs and flipped them over before turning down the heat. Tori always cooked without magic. Unless she was in a terrible hurry. Which was not likely to happen on a Sunday morning.

She brought out a Muggle device and tapped it with her wand. In a few moments, a lilting melody began playing, followed by a slightly broken voice. Oliver listened to the words and the music but kept getting distracted by Tori's humming.

"That's terribly depressing," he remarked, after the song had played for a bit.

"I love it."

"So you love depressing music?" he asked, uncertainly.

"Not necessarily."

He nodded his head and leant into the sofa. He had become used to her short answers. It was very difficult to get her to talk about anything other than perhaps Quidditch and Hogwarts.

"I don't like any particular kind of music," she said, not looking anywhere in particular, "There are specific songs and pieces I become obsessed with. Some stay for a long time and some don't."

"So, do you like them because of the melody or the lyrics?" he asked, curiously.

"Depends. It's usually one or the other. There are very few songs where I like both parts. This is one of them."

"What's it called?"

" _Romeo and Juliet_ ," she said, fiddling with the device again.

"I thought that was some kind of famous Muggle literary work," Oliver said, scrunching up his face.

"It is. It's a play by Shakespeare. It's about star crossed lovers. The worst really. Strange how someone who has written such fantastic things also wrote such a pathetic love story," she lifted one eyebrow as Oliver snorted, "I mean, that's a ridiculous benchmark for the ultimate romance. They both die because, honestly, they were complete dumbfucks. But people love it because of how intense and passionate their love was."

He bit his lip, trying to control a chuckle as she rolled her eyes and continued her rant about this Muggle playwright.

"What's so great about it if they both died? I mean, the greatest love story would be if they both lived and were able to love each other happily. A lot of people say that it's a brilliant tragedy. But again, it would have been so much more tragic if only one of them had died. Can you imagine living on after the love of your life dies an untimely death? That would be devastating."

"Yes. I suppose so. But living and not being able to be together is also pretty tragic," he mused.

"Perhaps. But then you have hope. Even if it's a one in a million chance, that one in a million is still greater than none."

"Didn't know you were such a romantic," he teased, lightly.

"I don't think I am one, honestly. Maybe if you considered it as Romantic Theory, yes, I would probably be a Romantic Theorist. But not a romantic."

"Why not?" He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but he pressed on.

"Real life is quite different from fantasy. But reality is vastly different from theory. Things you think of, form ideas about, fantasize over; that's never reality. You'd be very lucky if reality coincided with your beliefs."

Oliver gulped softly as she locked eyes with him.

"What about you?" she asked, her eyes impassive.

Oliver was speechless for a moment. Her eyes threw him off balance. They were large and black but the lack of emotion in them made him uncomfortable. She was waiting for his answer like she would for a teacher's question in class. There was no involvement, only clear and unshakable attention.

"Umm. I haven't really thought about it like that. I've never really thought about it at all."

She tilted her head and stared at him for a few moments before going back to the stove. Oliver let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He thought about what she had just told him and felt surprised that he didn't have any views of his own. He must have some ideas! He had dated a few times and he had witnesses plenty of relationships pan out before him. Quidditch had always been such a major part of his life that he hadn't stopped to think about many other things. He glanced at Tori thoughtfully. Was he a romantic?

…

Dani entered the flat a little before noon. She saw Tori and Oliver hunched over Tori's Muggle music player, listening to songs and talking animatedly. Well, not exactly animatedly. The only time either of them was animated was when they spoke about Quidditch. Tori was probably the only person she knew who could match Oliver's obsession. Most of their conversations usually revolved around the sport and the only time they moved to other topics was when Dani was around. So, naturally, she was surprised to see them discussing music sans bored expressions.

"I quite like this band. What did you say they were called?"

"The Beatles. Here, listen to this one, it's a huge favorite of mine. The melody is so bright and relaxing but the lyrics are a medley of hope and despair. Prefect combination," said Tori, tapping the device with her wand.

Oliver listened to it and gave her a pointed look. Tori raised an eyebrow in response, as if daring him to challenge her observation.

"It's good. But I think I like the first one best. _Michelle_ , right?"

"You like _Michelle_ more than _Here Comes The Sun_?" she asked dryly.

"Aye."

She shrugged her shoulders and returned to the device. To a stranger, this would indicate that Tori found his choice ridiculous. However, having lived with Tori for a few months now, Dani knew that that wasn't the case. _Michelle_ was Tori's favorite Beatles song, a close second to _Romeo and Juliet._ Dani smiled knowingly at the two of them as various ideas began forming in her head.

"Morning," she drawled, making them both jump.

"Merlin! Don't do that, Dani! Make noise when you enter the flat, like a normal person!" said Tori indignantly.

"I did. Not my fault you two were so engrossed in whatever you were doing," she remarked lightly, taking off her robes and typing up her hair.

Tori looked angry while Oliver just looked embarrassed. Dani walked to the counter and helped herself to some leftover eggs. She took out two slices of bread and spread some butter on them. She felt Tori's presence beside her but didn't say anything as she started humming a tune herself.

She sat down beside Oliver, taking bites of egg and bread and humming the tune loudly.

"Isn't that the song we were listening to right now? You know it as well, Ellie?" Oliver asked, curiously.

"What? _Michelle_? Of course. Tori's always humming it. It's her favorite Beatles song," she remarked, nonchalantly, aware of the looks she was getting from Tori.

"Really?" Oliver turned to look at Tori in surprise.

"Absolutely. She gushes about it entirely too much. Not nearly as much as that other depressing song, though."

" _Romeo and Juliet_ , you mean? Yeah. She was humming it when I came in earlier," he said, looking at Tori interestedly.

"Now that you're here, I don't have to entertain _your_ cousin," Tori said coldly, "If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to finish."

Dani watched as she got up and went to the kitchen. She knew it was a signal for her to follow and she obliged after a pause.

"Stop it."

"Stop what?" she asked, looking innocently at Tori.

"You exactly what. Don't try setting me up with him. It's not going to happen," she growled.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She shook amusedly and went over to sit with Oliver, Tori's heated gaze following her. Soon Tori had gone into her room and Oliver started talking about Quidditch again.

"Ollie, stop it. You know I don't know squat about Quidditch. Why do you insist on going on about it with me? Tori's the one who you usually talk to about this stuff."

"Yeah. Sorry. Old habit. How're things going at the Hospital?"

"Honestly Ollie? Is that the best you can come up with? God, you're worse than Tori sometimes," she said, rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"She is terrible at small talk. I mean, with her it's either awkward silences or obsessive conversations. There is _no_ middle ground. Which is why I was surprised to see you two talking about music when I came in."

"Yeah, I think I was too," he said, frowning and clearing his throat.

"How well do you know her?"

"Not very well."

"I can see that," she snorted.

"And you're suddenly an expert after living with her for a few months," he said sarcastically.

"Nope. I'm a good friend of Alex. Who happens to be _her_ best friend. I naturally did a bit of digging."

Oliver rolled his eyes this time. Spending time with Tori was rubbing off on him. He couldn't remember the last time he had rolled his eyes.

"What's your point, Ellie?"

"It's difficult to get to know her. There are parts of her which are extremely transparent but when you get beyond those, there's solid rock which is almost completely impervious."

"I still don't get what you're trying to say."

"I'm trying to say that you should get out of that thick head of yours. I think things become foggy in there after the number of Bludger hits you've taken."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" he asked with a half smile.

"Hardly. Quidditch is your defense. You realize that right? You turn to it whenever you can't cope with something."

"That's not true!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Please. When Aunt Joanna went into early labour, you were so worried that you were in the air the whole time. And that time when you found out that I wasn't going to Hogwarts with you, you only talked about the upcoming League games for two whole weeks."

"Fine," he grumbled, slouching into the sofa.

"It wouldn't hurt for you to take a look at yourself outside that. You aren't just Oliver, the Quidditch Prodigy."

"I wonder if you sometimes forget that we're the same age," he said, looking at her curiously.

"Huh? Why?"

"This older sister act you give me sometimes, it's pretty amusing," he sniggered.

"Laugh all you want. But I am right. You can't live with a Quaffle your entire life."

"Aye. That's why I've also got my broom," he said, dodging a cushion that came his way.

…

* * *

 **OMG! We've got a Toliver shipper inside the story :3 I personally dislike shipping people I know and interact with. It's cool if it's fiction, but not in real life. Messes things up quite a lot. Let me know what you think of this chapter. Will Dani be able to make a difference somehow?**

 **REVIEW!**

 **Cheers!**


	24. Chance, That Sly Fucker

**A/N- So, Christmas is coming up in the story and I thought I should give you guys a glimpse at what to expect. A lot of Toliver? Who knows? Read on to find out ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Oliver rubbed his hands together in the snow. It felt great to be back somewhere so close to school. Their team was having a promotional event followed by a press conference at Hogsmeade. The reserve team was also required to be present, and he and Andrew had just finished their sections in the promotional. Andrew had wanted to visit The Three Broomsticks and Oliver felt it would be amazing to go back there. On the way they had met the Weasley twins who were full of news on the Triwizard Tournament, Harry's mysterious selection, the dragons in the First Task and the Yule Ball.

The four of them were about to enter The Three Broomsticks when Oliver saw two people he recognized. Dani was chattering happily to Tori who looked flushed and happy in the cold. Oliver felt a strange feeling in his stomach as he looked at her. She was wearing her white woolen cap and bits of her dark hair were escaping from it. Her purple woolen turtleneck was flecked with freshly fallen snow and hands were tucked into her pant pockets. He gulped once more as she registered his presence. Her eyes were always the things that unsettled him most. They were completely black and he felt like she could see right through him with the look in her eyes.

"Ollie? What are you doing here?" Dani asked, a large grin on her face.

"Puddlemere promotions," said Tori, eyeing his blue pullover with gold accents with a strange look, "Right?"

"Right."

Andrew walked up to her and smiled. Oliver had seen that smile on countless occasions. They were usually reserved for people of the opposite sex who would eventually become severely infatuated with Andrew.

"What a pleasant surprise, Victoria!" he said, the charming smile never leaving his face.

Tori looked at him for a moment and Oliver felt like she was calculating something, before giving Andrew a half smile and nodding her head.

"Likewise. So are you guys going inside?" she asked, gesturing towards The Three Broomsticks.

"Yeah, Fred and George have already gone in. We'd better head inside as well," Oliver directed towards Andrew.

"Why don't you two join us?" he asked, not following Oliver inside.

"Sure!" exclaimed Dani. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Danielle, Oliver's cousin and Tori's flat mate."

"Andrew West. I'm on the reserve team with Wood," he said, grinning.

"Oi, Westy! Get in here!" came Oliver's annoyed lilt.

Once inside, the twins nearly crushed Tori with their enthusiastic embraces.

"Merlin! I've never seen Gred and Feorge like this. Desperate times eh?" she asked with a wink.

"Of course!"

"You were the best Head Girl!"

"Crazy Quidditch skills."

"Brilliant with the hexes."

"Saved our arses so many times."

"And got sloshed with the rest of us instead of reporting us."

"OF COURSE WE MISSED YOU!"

Tori laughed at their usual coordination. Oliver smirked at his ex-Beaters antics and suddenly remembered something extremely important.

"Oi, Weasleys. Who're the Captains this year?"

He looked from one twin to the other as they exchanged odd glances.

"The thing is-"

"What with the Triwizard Tournament-"

"There won't be any Quidditch this year," they said together, bracing for the blow.

"What? You can't cancel Quidditch!" Oliver spluttered.

Nobody else seemed to be taking the news like him and he shifted his attention to the twins, interrogating them on McGonagall's reaction, Snape's intentions and Dumbledore's sanity.

"So, Andrew, did you go to Hogwarts as well?" Dani asked, moving away from Quidditch-obsessed cousins and oddly excitable identical twins.

"No. I went to school in the States for a few years and then moved back to England for my final year where I was homeschooled. I spent two years training as a Chaser with Kevin Harrison before trying out for Puddlemere."

"You trained with Kevin Harrison?" asked Tori, her eyes wide and mouth open.

Andrew seemed to like this response and smiled at her, nodding his head deliberately.

"Since I know gobshite about Quidditch, I can't tell whether that's a good thing or not," said Dani uncertainly.

"Kevin Harrison was the legendary Chudley Canons coach during their heyday. He retired prematurely and not much has been heard from him since."

"Pretty much," said Andrew, the smile slowly turning into a smirk.

Oliver was busy ranting at the twins when he heard Tori's exclamation. It was strange to see her being Quidditch-obsessed with someone else. He had only ever seen her engage that animatedly with him when it came to the sport. He was momentarily distracted from the twins, who took their chance and fled to the counter to get some Butterbeer. He caught Tori's eyes and felt the same flip in his stomach on seeing the expression in her them. She raised an eyebrow, as if asking him why he was suddenly staring at her. His mouth opened but no words came out.

"Wood, it's almost 2. We need to head back for the press conference," Andrew said, poking him in the shoulder.

"Ow! Yeah, right. I'll see you guys later. Tell the twins I said bye," he said hurriedly, leaving the pub before Andrew.

"Have a merry Christmas!" Andrew said, waving at the two girls before leaving.

They waved at him and returned to their drinks. The twins had disappeared somewhere and Tori assured Dani that they didn't need to go looking for them.

"Speaking of which, what're you doing for Christmas?"

"Dunno. I always stayed at Hogwarts because my parents didn't get any leave. I'll stay at home and see if there's any extra work at the Ministry, I guess," said Tori, shrugging.

"Oh no, you're not! There's no way I'm leaving you alone during the holidays. I'm going to visit my grandparents and you should come along as well!" exclaimed Dani gleefully.

"What? You want me to go with you to your grandparents'?" asked Tori uncertainly.

"Absolutely! It'll be so much fun! My entire family will be there!"

"Including Oliver?" asked Tori wryly.

"Well obviously! And Anna. And my other two cousins as well. It'll be amazing! You have to come with! Please ,Tori!" she pleaded.

"Alright, fine. On one condition!" Tori said, eyeing her carefully.

"Anything!"

"You have to stop trying to set up me and Oliver," she said, keeping her gaze focused and level.

Dani hesitated for a second but nodded her head. Tori kept her eyes on her for a moment longer, still not completely satisfied but assured for the moment.

"Come on! I need to buy Christmas presents!" she said, dragging Tori out of the pub.

…

* * *

 **OMG. WHAT. Cliffy? Anticipation pill? GAH!**

 **But. Since I'm so nice, the next chapter is up as well.**

 **Let me know what you think :3**

 **Cheers!**


	25. Into The Woods

**A/N- Just gonna leave this super fast update of a super long chapter here. *watches from a distance*Hope you like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

The Woods lived in one of the most beautiful wizarding areas in Scotland. Tori was slightly overwhelmed to meet the entire family in one go. Overwhelmed but not unhappy. She was from a very small family and it was quite exhilarating to meet so many people belonging to the same family.

Alastair and Kirstin were Dani and Oliver's grandparents. They were very active even at their age, spending their time outdoors as much as they could. Cameron was their oldest son who had inherited Kirstin's blonde hair. He and his wife, Eleanor, lived in Dublin with their two sons, Scott and Gavin. Both the boys had the trademark blond hair as well. Donella was their only daughter and she was married to a French Potions Master, David Delacroix. Dani was their only daughter and she and her mother both had Kirstin's blonde hair. Ian was the middle child. He was married to Isla and they had two children- Oliver and Annabelle. Ian was the only one who had inherited his father's dark hair and blue eyes. In turn, his children had inherited his hair color but had gotten the big, brown eyes from Isla.

Dani's entire family was very pleased to meet Tori. They were even more pleased when they found out that she had been Oliver's classmate in school. Isla and Donella were particularly welcoming and started fussing over her sleeping arrangements.

"So, Tori, did you know that Dani wanted to be a Hippogriff trainer when she was five?"

Tori looked at Oliver's cousin, Scott in surprise. He looked a lot like Oliver would have looked if he had blond hair. He was very tall and slightly older than Oliver and Dani. He had a natural charm which Dani had but Oliver lacked. She could feel a blush coming over her face.

"I didn't, actually. That's interesting. Why'd you give up that dream, Dani?" she asked, turning to her friend.

"I think I just got pissed off by Ollie going on and on about becoming a professional. You can only maintain your own enthusiasm for so long when you're living with this bloke."

"But he did it, though. Ollie's a pro now!" gushed Gavin.

He was a few years younger than them and clearly worshipped Oliver.

"Close that mouth of yours, Gav. All your saliva will dry up otherwise," teased Scott.

Gavin blushed and closed his mouth. Oliver saw his look of disappointment threw a cushion at him.

"Fancy a quick game, Gav? The weather's not too bad right now," he said with a grin.

Gavin's face lit up in excitement. Oliver asked his mother, father, aunt, uncle and cousin to join the two of them.

"We still need one more person," said Gavin, uncertainly.

"Tori?" asked Oliver, hesitantly.

"You want me to play?"

"You can play?" asked Gavin incredulously.

"I can, actually," she said, a small smile tugging on her lips.

"So you'll play?" Oliver's voice was strangely hopeful.

Tori nodded her head and he ran outside to get out the equipment. She started following everyone else out when a hand stopped her. She turned to see Gavin's eyes fixed on her suspiciously.

"You're the one who helped Ollie win the Cup?"

"I, er, yeah. I suppose I did," she said, not knowing exactly what to say.

"You were the one who helped him with new plays and also played in the final when his Seeker was injured?" he plodded on.

"That's definitely me."

"Hmm," he eyed her suspiciously and nodded.

Once outside, Oliver threw her a broom and raised his eyebrow when she stared at him oddly. He had told his cousin about the Quidditch matches. Well, of course he would. But he had also mentioned her. Obviously. She had helped him out tremendously.

But as they flew into the air, she felt a lightness inside her which she hadn't felt around Oliver since the final against Slytherin.

Gavin was clearly in awe of his cousin because he also trained as a Keeper. Scott and Tori were the Seekers and the adults took positions as Chasers. Owing to the low numbers, they opted out of keeping Bludgers in the game. Oliver kept being chastened by his parents for taking the game too seriously. Scott was more interested in distracting his younger cousin and kept diving around Oliver, making him shout out to Tori, asking her to go after the Snitch. Gavin was just as serious about the game as Oliver and all four Chasers found this very amusing.

Tori wasn't sure whether to look for the Snitch or look at the family in front of her. Every thing about them was so good-natured. From the match to the scolding and teasing- it looked more and more like a positive force waiting to burst through the seams.

After the game, which ended in favor of Gavin's team, Tori kept her broom with everyone else's and headed back to the house. She felt a slight touch on her shoulder.

"I hope you aren't having trouble settling in. The family in all it's glory can be quite something," said Oliver's mother, smiling at her gently.

"No, not at all, Mrs. Wood. I think this is the easiest I've ever gotten to know another family. I don't even feel like I've met most you them yesterday."

"Good. I'm glad Ellie brought you here. You were going to spend Christmas alone, I hear."

"Well, I used to stay back at Hogwarts every year because my parents wouldn't be home. This year isn't very different. Other than the fact that Dani invited me over."

"You were in Gryffindor too? Funny. I've never heard Oliver talk about you," she asked, puzzled.

"Ah, well. You know Oliver. Not much other than Quidditch registers in his mind. Although, to be fair, I only spoke to him properly in our last year."

"I see. It's nice to know my son has friends outside his teammates," she said, the smile returning to her face.

Scott, Gavin and their parents left before dinner. They were staying the night at Eleanor's parents' place. It had snowed a good deal by the time they left and the pond nearby had frozen completely.

"Fantastic!" said Dani, "We can go ice-skating tomorrow. Scott, make sure you guys are back by breakfast in the morning. If the ice thaws, we won't be able to skate."

Once they left, Dani asked Tori if she had any skates.

"No. I've never skated before," she said, sheepishly.

"Not a problem. We'll go to the Sports shop and get you a pair now. Anna, you want to come along?" she asked the little girl.

"Yes! What about Ollie?" she said, looking at her brother.

"What about him?" asked Dani, raising an eyebrow.

"Won't he come with us?"

"Anna, I don't think Ollie wants to come shopping with us," she said, looking at Oliver pointedly.

"I don't mind," he said slowly.

"Yay! Ollie's coming with us!" Anna said, bouncing up and down happily.

Dani stared at Oliver for a few seconds and he felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

"For fuck's sake, Ellie. Stop looking at me like that. What would I do at home anyway?"

"Dunno. It's never been an issue for you before," she said, scrutinizing him further and then shrugging, "But whatever, let's go before everything closes."

They ended up buying a simple pair of skates for Tori which were enchanted to fit her feet exactly. Anna wanted some hot chocolate so they stopped at a nearby coffee shop. By the time they got back, dinner was ready.

…

"Oh no!"

Tori woke up to Dani's shout of dismay. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got up slowly. Dani was standing at the window and looking out into the morning sunlight.

"What's wrong?"

"The was a landslide and the entire pond is covered with mud and rocks. We won't be able to skate," she said, pointing at the scene outside.

Sure enough, the crystal like pond of last night was now just a heap of dirt. Tori looked at Dani's disappointed expression and an idea struck her.

"Hold on. I think I might be able to do something," she said, slipping on her coat and grabbing her wand from the table.

On the way out, she passed Oliver who followed her curiously. She stood in front of the pond and tried to clear her mind and think of the frozen surface she had seen the day before. Pointing her wand at the ground, she cast the spell with deliberation.

"Aguamenti Glacius!"

Water formed at the point where her wand was pointed and slowly expanded until she twisted her arm and it froze into a thick sheet of ice. The mud and rocks had been covered and was now replaced by a perfect ice surface.

"That was-"

"Brilliant!" said Dani, interrupting Oliver and running over to Tori. "I'll go and get the others."

Tori grinned and put her wand back. Oliver waited for Dani to leave before turning to her and stepping forward slowly.

"I saw you use that spell on Flint at Hogsmeade. I've never seen anyone use this spell before," he said, though the question was evident in his tone.

"I read a lot last year. Came across many different kinds of spells," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

He wasn't convinced but didn't get a chance to ask as Tori went inside to get her new skates.

Scott, Gavin, Dani and Oliver all knew how to skate. Even little Anna knew a little. Tori felt hopelessly inadequate standing against the tree as they all swooshed about on the ice she had created. Dani and Oliver took turns helping Anna around while Scott and Gavin began racing each other. Tori didn't feel confident enough to venture out on her own and decided to stand and watch the others.

After a little while, Scott came over to her and asked her to join them. He held out his hand and Tori took it gingerly. The first step on the ice made her feel like her legs were made of jelly. Any and all sense of balance left her and she clutched Scott's arm fiercely.

Oliver watched Anna skate with Dani and turned around to see Tori clutching onto his cousin. Scott had longish, blond hair and twinkling blue eyes. His dimples were visible every time he laughed with Tori. Which Oliver noted, was quite often. He actually looked a lot taller than her and her black hair and maroon coat seemed to complement his light blue attire. Oliver frowned a little and skated towards them. They didn't seem to be skating at all, just holding on to each other and laughing.

"Scott, can you help Anna with her turns? Dani's not being able to handle her on her own."

"Umm," he said, looking at Tori, "Sure. But I was helping Tori."

"Not a problem. I'll take over," he said, although it came out more like an order similar to those of his days as Captain.

Tori opened her mouth to protest but Scott gave her an apologetic smile. She nodded her head and tightened her lips as Oliver stood beside her.

"Ready?"

She nodded her head stiffly.

There was a reason why Tori hadn't wanted to play Quidditch with Oliver as captain. She didn't do well under bossy people and her skating lesson just reinforced this. Simply put, it was a disaster. He kept telling her to do things his way and didn't budge when she told him that it would be easier for her to do things differently. In turn, she would refuse to listen to everything he said, even if she knew that it would help her.

What ended up happening was a very heated argument followed by Tori falling flat as she tried to wriggle out of Oliver's grip.

"See what happens when you don't listen," he said smugly.

"Gah!" she screamed and kicked off her skates. Putting a protective charm around her feet, she walked back to the house, determined never to learn anything from that incorrigible boy again.

…

It was Christmas Eve and everyone was gathered at the dining table. Scott, Gavin and their parents were staying the night. Oliver's grandmother had cooked the entire meal herself and Tori marveled at the details put into each dish. She had never seen such an elaborate meal before in her life. Everything had a different flavor and every flavor was exquisite.

By the time everyone had finished eating, it was close to midnight. Anna was yawning loudly and Oliver's parents shooed everyone off to bed. Because of the larger number of people, Dani, Oliver, Tori, Scott and Gavin were sleeping in the drawing room. There were two large sofas and Tori and Dani were sleeping on them while the three boys were given comfortable sleeping bags. There was a fire burning in the drawing room and all in all the sleeping arrangements were very cozy.

…

Oliver tossed about in his sleep. It had become quite warm, what with the Heating Charm and the fire going on at the end of the drawing room. He could feel tiny beads of sweat forming and shrugged off his jacket. Immediately feeling cooler, he drifted back to sleep.

A little later, he grunted as he felt a weight on him. He tried to push it off, wondering where he was that something heavy was on him. He clearly remembered pushing off the quilt before going to sleep. So what was this weight on his body.

He cracked open one of eyes and saw a mass of black near his chin.

Very strange.

He tried to shrug the sleep off and put his hands on whatever was on top of him. To his surprise, he came into contact with skin. That's when it hit him.

He craned his neck and tried to get up. But just as he feared, Tori's body prevented him from getting up.

Sometime during the course of the night, he had shifted towards that particular sofa and she had actually fallen off and landed on top of him. It wasn't a very long drop because she still hadn't woken up. In fact, it was just when he started trying to get up that she groaned and scrunched up her eyes.

This was a very uncomfortable position for Oliver. He was lying on his sleeping bag and Tori was sleeping on top of him. Her head was just below his chin and every time she moved even slightly, her nose tickled his chin. Her loose t-shirt had shifted, exposing one of her shoulders and Oliver gulped softly.

He tried to slowly move her away but she only frowned and nuzzled into him closer.

"Tori?" he whispered softly, "You need to move."

"No. I'm sleeping. Go away," she mumbled incoherently.

But that was just the thing he couldn't do. She was burying herself deeper into the corners of his body, clutching onto the neck of his t-shirt and wrapping her legs around him. Her long, bare legs which seemed endless next to her neon green shorts.

"Tori?" he asked, not knowing what to do.

"Go away," she grumbled, holding on to him tighter.

He sighed. It was nearly 3 in the morning. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night and his eyelids were slowly closing. If only he could get his heart to stop beating so wildly. He gave in to the first thought that crossed his mind and wound his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. It smelled of chocolate. As usual.

And then, he fell asleep.

…

"Oh my."

Tori frowned and slowly opened her eyes. There was a strange, unfamiliar and comfortable warmth surrounding her and she snuggled into it as she tried adjusting her eyes to the sunlight. Her eyes finally opened to see Dani staring at her smugly from above.

"What's going on?"

"I think I should be asking you that question."

The laughter in her voice could barely be concealed and Tori tried to sit up and frown at her properly. Only, she couldn't. She was being held down by something.

A quilt?

But she hadn't slept with a quilt last night.

She turned her head to the side and froze in horror. She was wrapped in Oliver's arms, his hands wound around her waist and her legs twined about his hips. His lips were just above her forehead and she stared at them for a second as his scent began to overwhelm her.

"Fuck."

She squirmed and wriggled before Oliver finally groaned and moved over. But his hands never left her waist and she shrieked as he pulled her along with him while rolling over to the other side.

"Oliver! Let me go!" she hissed.

"Huh?"

He slowly opened his eyes and realization dawned. He let go of her and they sprang apart as if hit by lightning.

"Shit. I, er, I, that is-"

"Save it. Just get up before anyone else wakes up. You two are so lucky that I was the first one to wake up and umm, discover you two," said Dani, stifling a giggle.

"Right," said Oliver gruffly and quickly went up to one of the rooms to get ready.

Dani glanced at Tori who was red from both anger and embarrassment.

"Not one word," she growled menacingly, before storming off herself.

Dani grinned gleefully and began preparing coffee.

It was going to be a merry Christmas indeed.

…

* * *

 **Ooh. What happened there? :3 Sudden? Perhaps. Exciting? You betcha! ;) Also, any confusion with the names, feel free to ask.**

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	26. Inside The Mind Of A Frustrated Witch

**A/N- So I tried something different in this chapter. This one is from Tori's POV. It's an important chapter and I hope I haven't messed it up.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

How _dare_ he? How _fucking_ dare he? I brushed my teeth with such force that I was sure either the brush would break or I'd lose one of my teeth. This was obviously _his_ fault. Fucking wanker.

Getting ready wasn't proving to be very easy as the events of the morning played in my head again. He was actually sleeping like that! With his arms around me! Like I was a fucking pillow! A small part of me reminded the larger part that I had also been pretty intensely, er, wrapped up in him. Quite literally. But the larger part was able to squash that thought by an overwhelming amount of expletives.

The worst part was that Dani had found us like that. Merlin! She was never going to let this go. If it wasn't bad enough that she had this insane idea that we had something going on between us, that dumbfuck had given her actual ammunition! As if. I would never be involved with that Quidditch obsessed tosser. Pfft.

Everyone was already at the table when I reached. They were just about to begin and Mrs. Wood summoned a chair next to her son.

Gah! Perfect. This had to be the only place vacant. Next to Oliver fucking Wood!

I could sense Dani's eyes on us and resisted the urge to chuck the pepper shaker at her. Next to me, Oliver was behaving like nothing had happened. Like we hadn't woken up tangled up in each other. Like his nose hadn't been buried in my hair and my lips hadn't been near his Adam's Apple.

"Pass the jam, would you, Tori?" he asked, buttering a piece of toast.

I picked up the dish of jam and held it at such an angle so that it was near him but he would have to reach out in order to actually get it.

He raised an eyebrow when I didn't extend my arm forward and instead of taking it from me like a normal person, he took a spoon and scooped up some jam from the dish I was holding.

"What are you doing?" I asked, irritated.

"Putting jam on my toast. You want some?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Why are you making me hold the dish?" my tone was quite clipped.

"I'm not making you do anything. You chose to hold it instead of passing it to me. You make your own decisions and do things according to your own free will. I have no part in what you do."

"I held it because I thought you'd take it from me. Not be a sodding prat and scoop out the jam while I kept holding it!"

"I thought you didn't want to let it go. Wouldn't be the first time today," he said lightly.

I paused for a second and saw a strange glint in his eyes. No. He wasn't…

"Not the first time?" I asked, repeating what he had said.

"Exactly. If you intend on denying it, I can show you the wrinkles around the neck of my t-shirt," he said in a low voice.

I had never heard him speak like this before. It seemed more than light teasing. Was he _flirting_ with me?

"That is completely irrelevant," I hissed, not having much to counter with.

I could see the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. This only proceeded to increase my anger. How dare he flirt with me?! After the shitty way he had behaved with me! Did he think this was a fucking game? Like Quidditch?

No. Of course not. If he did, then he'd take it seriously.

I huffed to myself and finished eating my food as quickly as I could, eager to get away from him. I was also aware of Dani being unable to contain a wide grin. Some friend she was.

UGH.

…

The scene outside was beautiful. I always loved snow. There was something so magical about it. I especially loved sitting down on the white surface and lazing about. It gave me an odd sort of comfort.

I was currently sitting under a tree and casually brushing my hand over the snow. I saw a shadow come up behind me and instinctively knew who it was.

"Go away."

He didn't. Instead, he sat down beside me. A little too close.

"What do you want?" I asked, trying hard to not elbow his nose.

"Nothing. Just wanted to relax a bit. It's a little crazy inside," he said, gesturing towards the house.

"So why are you here?"

"Why shouldn't I be here?"

"Stop behaving so nonchalantly!"

"What's gotten into you?" though his tone implied he knew exactly what had gotten into me.

"Did you not sleep well last night? I did." There was no implied knowing here. He was stating it clearly.

"Since you brought it up, why the fuck were you treating me like your personal pillow?" I hissed.

"For your information, you were the one who rolled off the couch and fell on top of me in the middle of the night. And then didn't let go of me when I tried to move you away," he said, looking at me challengingly.

"Don't lie!"

"I'm not. You refused to wake up and let go of me."

"Why didn't you wake me up then?"

He didn't reply and shrugged his shoulders.

"You can't evade conflict all the time, Oliver. Answer me!"

"Answer what? I told you, I tried moving you."

"You clearly didn't try hard enough. I was asleep but you weren't. Explain why exactly your arms were around me." I getting tired of dancing around the topic.

"Do you want me to answer that?" he said in a strange voice.

"Obviously. Why else would I be asking?"

"Just confirming whether you'll be trying to hex me again," he shrugged.

"What? You're making it sound like you had no fault in that situation!"

"No! That's not what I meant!"

"Then what _did_ you mean? Please explain it clearly because I seemed to have lost a few of my brain cells trying to have a rational conversation with you!"

I had started shouting by this time and he had a troubled expression on his face. If things were different, I would have felt bad for him. But things weren't different. And I was in no mood to be kind.

"I meant that I was trying to explain things that time as well. But you didn't really give me a chance to explain," he said, slowly.

"No, you weren't."

"I was! I told you-"

"You did not tell me anything! You didn't tell me why you almost kissed me after the final. You didn't tell me why you started going out with one of my best friends a few hours later. You didn't tell me why suddenly started avoiding me. And you sure as hell haven't told me why you sleeping with your arms around me last night!"

Oliver looked stunned, to say the least. His eyes were wide and the color had faded from his cheeks. The worst part was that his eyes looked hurt and guilty. What a fantastic combination.

Knowing that I wouldn't get a reply, I got up and brushed the back of my pants. Just as I started walking away, his hand caught mine. My jaw tightened and I looked at him straight in the eye. He said nothing, just looking at me and holding my hand for some strange reason.

"If you don't have anything to say, I'm leaving," I said and yanked my hand out of his.

…

Needless to say, I wasn't in a very festive mood after that encounter. The days passed by agonizingly slowly and I could feel the life drain out of me as I tried avoiding Oliver and also prevent any strange questions arising. I was just glad that Dani and I were leaving on the 1st. That just meant that I had to survive one more night with the Woods and keep the cracks from showing.

That doesn't mean that things were made easy for me.

Dani obviously knew that something had happened and because she knew I'd never say anything if she asked, she targeted Oliver instead.

I had been steadfastly ignoring and avoiding him since Christmas. Every time he tried to talk to me, I would miraculously have something else to do, somewhere else to be or someone else to talk to. Amazing how these things pan out.

But once Dani was involved, that got a lot tougher.

After several attempts at preventing me from escaping, she had finally succeeded in getting Oliver and me in a situation where neither was able to leave.

"Ollie, please go and help Tori with rooftop decorations. Everyone else is busy," Dani said loud enough for Mrs. Wood to hear.

"Victoria is upstairs all alone? Honestly, Oliver, don't you have any sense? The floor becomes exceedingly slippery during the winter. Go and help her before she gets into some kind of accident," she chided.

I was about to walk down and protest but Oliver ran up before any of this was possible. He had a challenging look on his face, as if daring me to go down and protest. He knew I wouldn't because it would lead to unnecessary questions.

Wanker.

"Tori," he began.

I ignored him because that was something I was good at. I had had a lot of practice growing up. It was my go-to technique for dealing with anger.

"Merlin, Tori! Just listen to me!" he said, blocking my path.

"Well played. Cornering a person after you fuck up royally. You clearly know how to do things well," I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"Stop. Just stop and listen to me once. After you give me a chance, I promise I won't bother you. Just give me one opportunity to explain."

I didn't say anything and my lack of movement encouraged him to continue.

"About what happened that night… I, uh, I've thought about that a lot. And the only reason I can give for not waking you up like that is because I didn't really want to."

"Huh? You prefer handling problems when they're asleep and can't fight for themselves?"

"Gah! No! Merlin! Would you just let me finish?"

I pursed my lips, frown knitting my brows.

"I didn't want to wake you up because I liked having you next to me. I didn't move you away with more force because I didn't want you to move away from me."

Wait. What? This isn't how this conversation was supposed to go. I wasn't supposed to start blushing. And he definitely wasn't supposed to sound this sincere and vulnerable.

"Tori," he said softly, leaning towards me.

I knew where this was going. Any minute now, he would pull away and ignore me for the next few months. I waited. But he didn't seem to have any intention of backing away. In fact, his invasion of my personal space was increasing slowly.

"I don't really know. But I think that I might fanc-"

"Stop."

I pushed him away with my hands before his lips could get any closer. He was still very close to me but there was enough space between us for me to be able to think clearly.

"You can't do this. You can't become my friend, show signs of being more than that, then ignore me, start talking to me randomly, cuddle with me while we're sleeping and then try and do this," I said, gesturing between his lips and mine.

"It's not as simple as that. You can't alternately be close and treat me like shit. It doesn't work that way."

He nodded his head. He took a small step back and the disappointment was evident on his face. I felt a thousand different emotions course through me in a couple of seconds. There was anger. Directed at him, the situation, Dani and my own self. There was fear of history repeating itself. But it was the last emotion that really got to me.

"But I've been waiting too long to do this. You will have plenty of time to think things through after tomorrow so screw everything else."

He looked up with surprise evident in his eyes.

I knew that if I hesitated a second longer, I wouldn't go through with this. So, I took my right hand and smacked him on the head.

It was beautiful. I felt lighter and happier than I had in days. The amount of magic could make up for the sheer joy associated with physical violence.

Oliver raised an eyebrow and held my gaze fearfully. I wanted to laugh at how clueless he looked. It was adorable.

"I think we're even now," I said.

I was on a roll that night so I thought I might as well go for it. Today was the last day of the year. I'd have a fresh start tomorrow. Clean slate and all.

I took a step towards him and he moved away, clearly anticipating more violence.

Instead, I quickly closed the gap between us and pressed my lips onto his. It took a second for him to relax but that was all I was giving myself.

Pulling away, I saw the stunned expression on his face. His cheeks were slowly turning red and I was sure mine were heading in that direction as well. It took all my self control to not kiss him again. I had wanted to do this for so long and that nano second peck wasn't really satisfying. But the nagging feeling at the back of my mind hadn't left yet. I still didn't know why he had behaved like that in school. Just because he seemed to be more accepting of something more than friendship now, didn't mean that he could just evade that topic.

There was a lot to be cleared up between us and I knew that the only thing that would help was time and distance. I hoped that I hadn't fucked up everything by kissing him. It hadn't even been a proper kiss. Just something to settle my nerves. And it's not like it was against his will! He had been leaning in to kiss me just seconds before that. I just changed the circumstances a little.

I knew that I had to move before he decided to do anything. Positive or negative.

This was probably a horrible way to leave things but I had gotten the shorter end of the stick for a long time and it was time that he suffered a little as well.

I ran down the stairs and began engaging myself in other tasks, successfully avoiding Oliver for the rest of my stay.

He had time to think things over. And I hoped I would be okay with whatever he decided.

…

* * *

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	27. Heal, Heal and Heal Again

**A/N- Hey guys! Hope you liked the previous chapter. Things are going to really pick up from now. As you know, the events happening parallely in the book will affect everyone else pretty soon. Let's hope I can keep track of everything. In case I lose any plot thread, please feel free to point them out. Hope you like this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Tori had been practicing her new spell with many different targets and after 2 months of solid preparation, Lupin had decided that it was time for her to travel to St. Mungo's.

"Now, Victoria. This is a confidential visit and no one other than Dumbledore knows about it. The Healer in question knows, of course, but other than that, it's just you and me."

Tori nodded and felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. This was serious stuff. She was going to try her spell on an actual human being. Less than two years of research and practice had brought her here. It was all quite frightening.

"Remus, I'm worried," she said, just before they apparated.

"I'd say you were a fool if you weren't," he said with a small smile.

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"There's always a chance of something going wrong. But that shouldn't stop us from trying. Think of what would happen if nothing went wrong. That's what is important," he finished, looking at her closely.

They soon made their way to the special ward in St. Mungo's. The Healer present was a man in his mid-forties, with dark hair and dark eyes. His name was Dermot Foster and he had an unfathomable expression on his face. Tori gulped slowly and felt the urge to rush back to her apartment.

"Dermot, this is Victoria McCaul. I'm sure Dumbledore briefed you about the necessary things."

The man in front of them nodded his head curtly.

"We have one very special case in this ward. All the Healers have declared her beyond saving. She has had incredible damage done to her mind by her husband."

Tori's ears perked up at this bit of information.

"By her husband?"

"Yes," said Foster, eyeing her closely, "She is a Muggle. Her husband placed an Imperius Curse on her to get her to marry him. She was living under his control for close to six years. The strain ultimately became too much and she broke down. Her husband wasn't able to control her and a bit of magic went wrong, alerting the Ministry. By the time they reached, he was gone and she was in a terrible condition. This was more than a year ago. Not much could be done, other than keeping her vitals regulated."

Tori sucked in her breath. She couldn't imagine the kind of damage on a person's mind undergoing such abuse. She stood still for a few minutes until Lupin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Victoria?"

"I need to see how badly her mind has been damaged. Healer Foster, can you perform the spell allowing me to see inside her skull?"

Foster didn't say anything but moved his wand slowly over the woman's head. Soon, her head began glowing and Tori could see the woman's brain and cranial areas.

She held back her gasp as she registered the broken terrain. From her study of Muggle X-rays and Madam Pomfrey's files, she knew exactly which part of the woman's brain had been damage. And it was damaged quite severely. Some of the veins were puffed up, some were pinched. It was a miracle that they had kept her alive for so long.

"Thank you. I think I understand. I would like it if you left me with her. You can watch from behind the glass door. I don't want to be distracted because this is going to be very difficult."

Lupin nodded his head and walked away. Foster was a little reluctant but eventually followed the other man out.

Tori took a few regulating breaths and grasped her wand tightly. She quickly went through all her research and the weeks of practice. This was it. The big one.

Instead of being scared like she had been earlier, she felt determined. After hearing what had happened to this woman, her fear of failure seemed so insignificant.

She concentrated on her intent. She needed to heal the damage. Raising her wand over the most affected area, she touched it lightly.

"Consanos Sensium," she muttered.

The tip of her wand glowed blue and she could feel the power flowing through the wand. Suddenly, it started shaking and the connection felt like it was faltering.

Tori realized that it was possibly because she had never dealt with this sort of damage before. She needed to concentrate more. Keep her intent clear and make sure that the execution didn't suffer.

She closed her eyes and held her other hand above the woman's head, somewhat stabilizing the connection.

"Consanos Sensium," she kept muttering the incantation every time the connection felt weaker.

After a while, she felt a shift somewhere. The connection had dimmed but not because of instability. This felt different. It felt like the connection was slowly being withdrawn because the healing process had ended in that particular area.

She withdrew her wand and staggered a little. Taking a bite of chocolate from the bar that Lupin had given her. She felt a little better and moved to the bed once again.

This time she changed the positioning of the wand and aimed at healing a different area. It took less time and energy this time.

The subsequent attempts went much faster and a very exhausted Tori beckoned for Lupin and Foster to enter.

"Victoria? Are you alright? Have some chocolate," said Lupin, worriedly.

"I have, Remus. It helped a lot. Don't worry. I'm just a little tired," she said, slowly.

"Impossible."

Tori and Lupin turned to look at Foster who was checking the woman's condition with his wand.

"I can't believe this. I-it's impossible. She's completely healed," he said, his voice faltering.

"Really?" asked Tori, her voice barely audible.

"She's waking up. That'll confirm everything."

The woman slowly opened her eyes and looked around slowly. She looked tired but her eyes were bright and her breathing normal.

"Where am I?" she asked unsurely.

"Mrs. Walters? How are you feeling?" asked Foster, his confidence back.

"Mrs. Walters? Wha-? Oh dear god! John! Where is he? He tried to- I-" she face formed a million different expressions as memories came flashing back to her.

"What's going on? I can't remember so many things!"

"Relax, Mrs. Walters. You were unconscious for a long time. We'll help you get all your memories back. You need to rest now."

Once they were out of the ward, Foster turned to Tori and Lupin with a different expression on his face.

"We'll get the Healers specializing in Memory Charms to help her get her thoughts and memories in order."

Tori nodded, still overwhelmed by what had just happened.

"Ms. McCaul, you were able to bring back someone who everyone had given up on. I was initially not sure of why Dumbledore had asked me to entertain your request, but now I see why. This won't be the last time you'll be here, Ms. McCaul. We will be needing you services again soon. Thank you. I shall let you know how Mrs. Walters gets on," he finished with a warm smile.

Tori nodded her head shakily. An hour later, she was sitting at a relatively remote café with Lupin. She had missed lunch. Lupin informed her that she had been in the ward for over three hours.

"Victoria, that was brilliant work. I cannot tell you how well you have done. But I get the feeling you already understand how advanced this was."

She nodded her head and bit into her sandwich. She hadn't said much since leaving the ward and she didn't want to talk about her new spell anymore.

"Remus, you were a friend of Sirius Black's at school, right?"

Lupin stiffened at this but nodded his head.

"Don't worry. I know that he's innocent. I heard all the details from Harry and Hermione after they managed to save him."

"I see. Well, I suppose that there isn't anything to hide then. James, Sirius, Peter and I were best friends in school. And now… Well. You know what it is now," he said, dejectedly.

"Yes. But at least you know that Sirius is innocent and well, Pettigrew is alive," she added, wrinkling her nose while saying the latter's name.

"That's true. But I can't help wondering how things would have been if Peter hadn't betrayed James and Lily."

"Very different. I can imagine how much it hurts to think about what could have been. But, you have now and you will have later. I guess that's something to think about," she said slowly.

Lupin sipped his tea and smiled at her softly. She had become his favorite student.

…

"I knew this was a bad idea," Tori groaned.

She had introduced Dani to Muggle movies and her friend had completely lost it. She had spent every weekend binge-watching movies, much to Tori's dismay. She didn't really mind watching movies but Dani was going about the whole thing with a mad frenzy.

Things were not looking up for her as the Easter break came up. It meant that they had a whole week off and Dani would most certainly want to spend it watching more movies. She had also invited Oliver over.

Tori hadn't seen much of him since the New Year. He didn't drop by that often because of the intense practice schedules but something had definitely changed between them.

Though neither of them had spoken about that night, Tori felt a strange electricity in the atmosphere whenever he was around. He would never talk to her about anything out of the way, but the way he looked at her, made her insides tingle.

There were also more accidental brushes and her skin felt like it was on fire every time they made physical contact.

But Tori had decided that she wasn't going to do anything. The ball was in his court and in order for anything to happen or change, he was going to have to do something about it.

That's why she felt this weird anticipation at the pit of her stomach when he walked in. She would be spending such a lot of time with him after ages. His small smile and nod of acknowledgment made her breath hitch.

"Come on!" yelled Dani from the sofa.

She had invited a couple of her friends from the hospital and Andrew West as well. The sofa was not large enough for everybody and Oliver ended up sitting on a bean bag on the left side of it. Tori didn't feel like squeezing in between Andrew and one of Dani's friends from the hospital, so she perched herself on the left arm of the sofa.

"We're going to be watching _500 Days of Summer_. Apparently, it's a brilliant Muggle romantic comedy," declared Dani knowledgably.

There were a few murmurs of excitement as everyone discussed the possibilities of Muggle entertainment. Dani's friends, Harvey and Patricia were animatedly chatting with her while Andrew listened intently, occasionally speaking to Tori on his left.

Oliver hadn't said much but Tori was aware of his eyes drifting to her once in a while. She could barely keep herself from stealing a few glances of her own. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, his jacket flung on the chair in the dining room.

The movie started and Tori smiled at the different reactions to the non-linear narrative pattern. It was dark by the time they got through half the movie. Dani didn't want the lights to be switched on because she needed authenticity.

Tori sighed softly and moved slightly on the arm of the coach. This was getting a tad uncomfortable.

She felt a slight pressure on her left as two fingers hooked onto her belt loop and tugged her. Surprised by this, she lost balance and landed neatly next to Oliver on the bean bag. He gazed at her for a few moments before tilting his head slightly.

"Better?" he asked, his fingers still hooked onto her belt loop.

Tori felt heat travel up her face and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He tugged at the belt loop once more and she settled into the beanbag comfortably. His hand moved away from her the belt loop and instead snaked itself around her waist. Tori shivered as she felt his arm come into contact with bits of her skin, which had become exposed when she had fallen from the arm of the sofa.

In order to balance herself, her arms rested on his chest and their proximity increased. She could feel his breath much closer to her than normal and her heartbeat increased involuntarily.

"We-we're missing the movie," she stuttered.

"Haven't you watched this before?" he asked in a low voice.

"Y-yes. But you haven't."

"I don't mind missing it."

His brown eyes were dancing in the light emitted by the movie and Tori felt this incredible urge to move forward, closer to him and give in to so many different feelings.

"Come to the roof with me," he said, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Huh?"

"The roof. Let's go now. We'll be back before this movie ends."

He got up quickly and helped her up. They quietly walked up to the roof and Tori shivered slightly as a cool breeze began to blow.

"Why are we here?" she asked, not looking at him.

"We need to talk."

"About what?"

He didn't say anything but Tori saw him move closer from the corner of her eye.

"Well?"

"I want to explain everything."

She turned around to face him and was surprised to see a hesitant look on his face. She nodded her head, giving up the signal to continue.

"I think it started when you gave me that book on my birthday. I was really shocked that you had managed to find something that combined my two areas of interest so well. Frankly, it scared me because of what it could mean. Nobody has ever known me well enough to get me gifts that I like and aren't completely Quidditch related. I was scared and that's why… That's why I did that after the final. The most logical step in my head was to divert my mind and I knew Mary had a crush on me. In hindsight, I feel terrible because I basically used her."

Tori couldn't trust herself to speak and Oliver continued.

"When I finally realized that I was being a complete dick, we broke it off. I wanted to apologize that day but that whole crazy thing with Black and Lupin happened. And after that, well… Anyway. I guess I had that coming."

He stopped for a second but thought better of waiting. It would probably convince him not to go on.

"I thought it would be better to just let things be. I never thought I'd see you again. And I was wrong there too. I understood that I had hurt you a lot. You weren't the same person who used to discuss strategy with me in school. And I was responsible for the change. I didn't know what to do, honestly. So I decided to roll with things. And the more I spoke to you, the more it became clear to me. And when you fell on top of me on Christmas Eve, it just confirmed everything for me. But I didn't have the courage to explain everything to you because I come off as a right git in this whole story. What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. For being immature and scared and stupid…"

Oliver's ears were bright red at this point of time. Tori was breathing heavily at this point of time. Her head was reeling from everything he had just said. Did this mean…

"What does this mean?" she asked shakily.

He walked closer to her and she could see the doubt and fear in his eyes. His cheeks were flushed due to the breeze and the situation they were in right now.

Tori was frozen to the spot as he reached up and cupped her cheek with one hand. Despite the cold, his breath felt hot on her face. There was a slight dent in his forehead as he leaned in slowly, as if unsure of how she'd react.

A million things were going through Tori's head at this point of time. But she pushed them all aside and closed the distance between them. This was nothing like the peck on New Year's Eve. His lips were soft and tasted of the mint he had been having after the meal. She opened her mouth to give him more access and she moaned as his tongue slowly flicked hers.

Her hands were now clutching his hair as his hands slid down to her waist. She had wanted to kiss him for so long and now that it was actually happening, she didn't want to let go. The kiss became more intense and heated with every passing second.

They continued like this, moving blindly until they collided with a small table somewhere near the other end of the roof. Breaking apart after a long time, her leaned his forehead against hers and intertwined their fingers. The look in his eyes made Tori's stomach do multiple flips.

"You never answered my question," she asked, her voice barely audible.

"I guess this means I'm asking you what you're doing this weekend," he said, his own voice hoarse.

"I'm going to Albania," she said, mechanically.

"What?!" his voice was devoid of any hoarseness as he looked at her in bewilderment.

"I'm going to Albania. Do you want to come with me?" she asked, looking at him with a hint of a challenge in her glance.

"I'd love to," he said and leaned in to kiss her again.

…

* * *

 **Okay. So I would like a ton of reviews for this chapter. I mean LOOK at the amount of progress. Also, if you find anything about Oliver's explanation strange, let me know. I'll try and clear things up.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW.**

 **Cheers!**

 ***Edited***

 **I forgot to post credits for one scene in this chapter. I recently read Wandslake Wizarding University by yukitsuki and I was blown away by one portion in the chapter " _Film_ ". So the belt loop thing is inspired by that. I do not own it and I would like to give full credit for that to the brilliant yukitsuki :)**


	28. NOTE

So I know that I haven't updated this story in ages but I have tremendous writer's block. Rest assured, I will come back to this story.

For now, you can read another story that I've started called Stars, Scars and All That Jazz.

Don't kill me! Bye.


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